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Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Thursday that she wants to make the West great again, inviting President Donald Trump to visit Italy.
Meloni told reporters in Washington during her visit to meet with the president that he had accepted her invitation to travel to her nation soon.
“I want to thank President Trump for having accepted an invitation to pay an official visit to Rome in the near future and consider the possibility in that occasion to meet also with Europe,” Meloni told reporters in the Oval Office.
“The goal for me is to make the West great again, and I think we can do it together,” she added.
Trump told reporters, concerning Meloni, “I do like her very much. She’s a great prime minister…one of the real leaders of the world, and I’m very proud to be with her.”
Meloni voiced confidence in the two leaders’ ability to collaborate on securing a trade agreement that would serve the interests of both countries.
“I’m sure we can make a deal…I think the best way is we simply speak frankly about the needs that every one of us has…I’m sure that together, we are stronger,” she said.
The European Union is seeking to avoid upcoming tariffs from the Trump administration, which are expected to increase after the president’s 90-day delay, announced shortly after his April 2 “Liberation Day” event.
“We know this is a difficult time,” Meloni said ahead of her trip, the BBC reported. “We will do our best – I am aware of what I represent and of what I am defending.”
The European Union has until July to persuade the president to rescind his 20 percent “reciprocal tariffs” announced on April 2 before he temporarily paused the measure for 90 days following widespread international backlash.
Despite the pause, the EU remains subject to a 10 percent baseline tariff imposed on all U.S. trading partners, in addition to 25 percent duties on steel, aluminum, and automobiles.
Trump previously hosted Meloni at his Mar-a-Lago estate in January, where he praised the first female Italian prime minister before the crowd.
“This is very exciting,” Trump told the crowd. “I’m here with a fantastic woman, the prime minister of Italy. She’s really taken Europe by storm, and everyone else, and we’re just having dinner tonight.”
