Meloni’s unexpected trip to Florida strengthens connections between Italy and Trump

Late on Saturday, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni unexpectedly traveled to Florida to meet with Donald Trump in an attempt to deepen relations with the president-elect ahead of his inauguration on January 20.

Italian deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini said on Sunday that the talks, which were not disclosed, touched on a number of topics, including the situation of Italian journalist Cecilia Sala, who was arrested in Iran last month.

“Congratulations to Giorgia Meloni for meeting with Donald Trump to discuss peace, security, industrial and commercial cooperation, and the release of Cecilia Sala,” said Salvini, the League coalition party’s leader, on X.

Following an introduction by the president-elect, Meloni was greeted with cheers by members of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club, as reported by reporters and others on social media.

This is really thrilling. Trump told the Mar-a-Lago throng, “I’m here with a fantastic woman, the prime minister of Italy,” according to a media pool report. “She’s really taken Europe by storm.”

Meloni’s conservative credentials and the stability of the right-wing coalition she has headed in Italy since late 2022 make her a potentially powerful partner for Trump. Meloni also has a tight contact with Trump friend and wealthy tech CEO Elon Musk.

The encounter, which had not been publicized beforehand, demonstrated Italy’s ability to serve as “a diplomatic bridge between two worlds: the European Union and the USA,” according to Tommaso Foti, Italy’s minister of regional affairs and the EU, on Sunday.

Days before Meloni’s trip, she will meet with U.S. President Joe Biden in Rome from Thursday until January 12. In the November election, Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris and is getting ready to take the White House again.

Trump and Meloni attended a documentary screening that questioned the criminal probes and legal scrutiny that former Trump attorney John Eastman, who played a key role in Trump’s failed attempts to win back the 2020 election, faced.

The arrest of journalist Sala on December 19 in Tehran is one of Meloni’s greatest obstacles.

Sala was arrested three days after Iranian businessman Mohammad Abedini was arrested on a U.S. warrant at Milan’s Malpensa airport for allegedly delivering drone parts that Washington claims were used in an attack in Jordan last January that killed three U.S. military members. Iran has denied any role in the assault.

Meloni was the most recent of a small number of foreign dignitaries to visit Trump in Florida since the election on November 5. He has met with Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and President Javier Milei of Argentina.