Italian PM Giorgia Meloni meets Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni paid an unofficial visit to Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago residence on Saturday, the latest foreign leader hosted by the US president-elect as he prepares to take office.

“Nice evening with Donald Trump, whom I thank for the welcome. Ready to work together,” wrote the far-right prime minister on social media, with a photograph of the two standing side-by-side at the entrance to his Florida home.

Photos of the meeting between the two conservative leaders were on the front pages of all Italy’s newspapers Sunday.

According to US journalists present Saturday night, Trump called Meloni “a fantastic woman.”

“She’s really taken Europe by storm, and everyone else, and we’re just having dinner tonight,” Trump said.

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Meloni is one of several foreign leaders, including Canada’s Justin Trudeau and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who have paid visits to Trump before he takes office.

Trump’s promises of introducing heavy import tariffs have led to a scramble among traditional economic allies, including in Europe, to plan for possible negative effects on trade.

Meanwhile, one of Trump’s top advisors, billionaire Elon Musk, has taken to social and traditional media to lambast the ruling governments in Germany and the United Kingdom.

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His comments have already ruffled feathers in Europe. The same day that Meloni was visiting Trump, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz denounced Musk’s “erratic” comments and his open support for the extreme-right AfD party.

The visit by Meloni, who heads the far-right Brothers of Italy party, comes ahead of a four-day visit to Rome by US President Joe Biden, where he is expected to meet with Meloni and, separately, Pope Francis.

Also in attendance during Meloni’s Mar-a-Lago visit were Trump’s incoming national security advisor Mike Waltz and Senator Marco Rubio, tapped for secretary of state, according to photos from the event.

Both Trump’s and Meloni’s offices did not respond to requests for comment about the visit.

With inputs from agencies.