Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will meet US President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday. She is the first European leader to meet him since he announced and then paused 20% tariffs on European goods.
Meloni got the meeting at a crucial time when Trump was putting aggressive tariffs all around. She is speaking for Italy and, in some ways, for the European Union. Before the trip, she spoke often with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. A Commission spokesperson said the talks are “closely coordinated.”
Meloni said, “We know this is a hard moment. I understand what I represent and what I must defend.”
The EU says it is the largest trading partner with the US, and every year, it reaches €1.6 trillion ($1.8 trillion).
The EU wants to make a deal with no tariffs on both sides. However, Trump’s team still wants a 10% tariff on all foreign goods. Trump stopped his plan to raise tariffs to 20% for now, giving 90 more days for talks.
Experts say Meloni is not likely to win big deals. But her goal is to understand Trump’s real plans.
“It’s a very sensitive mission,” said Fabian Zuleeg, an expert in Brussels. He said Meloni is not an official negotiator, but Trump likes personal talks that feel like deals. So this trip is important for her.
Meloni’s party is right-wing, and she agrees with Trump on things like migration, family values, and being careful with global groups. But they do not agree on Ukraine as Meloni strongly supports Ukraine, and Trump wants to bring peace to the Russia-Ukrainian conflict.
She was the only EU leader at Trump’s January 20 inauguration. Since then, she has been careful with her words. After Trump argued with Ukraine’s president, she called the tariffs “wrong” and warned that dividing the West would be “disastrous for everyone.”
“She is very cautious,” said Wolfango Piccoli, an analyst in London. “That is smart when your partner changes their mind every day.”
Italy sells a good amount of goods to the US. It makes €40 billion more from exports than it buys. Americans love Italian wine, cheese, ham, and fashion. These products are made by small businesses. Many of them vote for centre-right parties.
Antonio Villafranca, from a Milan think tank, said Meloni will talk about strong US-Italy business ties. Italy may also buy more gas from the US.
This meeting comes as the world worries about the trade war. Italy’s economy is slowing. Growth is expected to be just 0.5% this year, not 1% as planned.
Trump also wants NATO members to spend 2% of their GDP on defence. Italy only spends 1.49%, which is low compared to others.
Experts say people should not expect big news from this visit. But it is expected to be an important meeting for Italy as well as for the EU.
“The smart move is to be careful,” said Piccoli. “Have the meeting, take the photo, and come back with a better idea of what Washington wants. If she does that, it’s already a success.”
