Giorgia Meloni meets Donald Trump – and is supposed to save Europe from tariffs. But does she stand for Brussels or for “Italy first”? A woman walking a tightrope.

Today, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (48) will be the first European head of government to meet with President Donald Trump (78) at the White House since the reintroduction of US punitive tariffs. The visit is not only symbolically charged, but also of the utmost economic and political importance: nothing less than a looming transatlantic trade war is at stake.

At the beginning of April, Trump announced a flat import tariff of 20 percent on almost all EU products, with a 90-day deadline for negotiations. (AP News, April 16, 2025) According to the plan from Brussels, Meloni is to act as a mediator at this stage – thanks to her close personal relationship with Trump, but also with clear agreements with the EU Commission. According to AP News, she coordinated with Ursula von der Leyen and EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič before her departure.

Close to Trump: politically and personally

It is no secret that Meloni sees Trump as an ally. She shares his right-wing conservative agenda, his nationalist narrative, and his rejection of supranational organizations. Back in 2023, she described his “Make America Great Again” movement as a “patriotic force with global impact.” Trump, in turn, has repeatedly praised Meloni as “brilliant” and a “bundle of energy.” (Time Magazine, April 16, 2025)

In the past, Meloni has been a guest at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate and, unlike many of her European counterparts, was also invited to the inauguration on January 20, 2025. According to a report by Politico Europe, this symbolic proximity to the Trump world already served as a silent trump card before today’s visit.

Economic interests – Italian or European?

But the visit is not merely a reunion of old acquaintances. According to Reuters, there is nervousness in Brussels: Italy is the EU member state with the third-highest export figures to the US – an annual trade surplus of around 40 billion euros is at stake. Critics fear that Meloni will primarily represent national interests and thus undermine European unity.

On the other hand, Meloni has also shown loyalty to the EU in the recent past – for example, when she publicly rebuked US Vice President JD Vance after his EU-critical remarks in Munich. (Politico, April 16, 2025) According to her party colleague Adolfo Urso, Meloni will try to act as a mediator, making targeted use of her “special relationship with Trump.” (New York Times, quoted in AP News)

Tariffs, gas, arms: What’s on the negotiating table

In addition to the abolition or reduction of the new US tariffs, other economic and strategic issues are on the agenda. According to Foreign Policy, Meloni has signaled that Italy is prepared to import more US liquefied natural gas and increase its defense spending—possible concessions to dissuade Trump from imposing a “tariff hammer.”

Conclusion: Meloni on a diplomatic tightrope

Meloni’s visit is a diplomatic balancing act. On the one hand, her personal proximity to Trump allows her to play a unique role in the struggle for a new transatlantic economic order. On the other hand, she must prove that she will not allow herself to be exploited – neither by Washington nor by Brussels.

As Time magazine wrote, Meloni is currently “Europe’s Trump whisperer.” Whether that will be enough for an Easter miracle remains to be seen in the coming days.

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governo.it, CC BY 3.0 IT https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/it/deed.en, via Wikimedia Commons