US President Donald Trump and his close ally, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, expressed optimism in Washington yesterday about resolving trade tensions that have strained US-European relations.
The European Union, as Reuters reminds us, faces import tariffs of 25% on steel, aluminum and cars, as well as broader tariffs on almost all other goods, as part of Trump's policy targeting countries he claims are setting high barriers to American exports.
Meloni, sitting across from Trump ahead of a joint lunch at the White House, said she was confident they could reach a trade deal. “I’m confident we can reach a deal, and I’m here to help,” she said.
Trump said he generally expects to announce new trade deals soon, but he is not in a hurry. “We will have almost no trouble making a deal with Europe or anyone else, because we have something that everybody wants,” Trump said.
Meloni said she would invite Trump to visit Italy. She also said she expected Italy to announce at the next NATO summit in June how it would be able to meet the Alliance's requirement that each member allocate 2% of GDP to defense spending.
"We have a very good relationship, both with each other and as countries," Trump said.
Meloni, a 48-year-old conservative who is favored by Trump, was the only EU leader invited to his inauguration in January. Trump's decision last week to impose a 90-day pause on most global tariffs has eased some of the pressure on Meloni, Reuters points out.
Two senior US officials, who briefed reporters ahead of the visit, said that Trump and Meloni have a "special relationship" and that Trump sees her as a "valuable mediator" between the US and Europe.
One of the officials said that Trump will make it clear during the talks that he "expects Italy and all of Europe to contribute and be good trading partners for the United States."
The meeting between Trump and Meloni came a day before Meloni hosts Vice President J.D. Vance in Rome today. The talks could show whether the prime minister can play a role as a mediator between the United States and Europe.
Meloni, according to Reuters, is balancing her ideological closeness to President Trump with ties to European allies, who have criticized Trump's tariff hikes and his decision to exclude the EU from talks with Russia on ending the war in Ukraine.
Meloni faces pressure at home to protect Italy's export-driven economy, which last year posted a 40 billion euro trade surplus with the United States. At the same time, he must show that he is defending the interests of the entire 27-member EU bloc.
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