WASHINGTON D.C. – As the first European leader to visit the White House since Trump imposed sweeping tariffs, Giorgia Meloni, on Thursday, attempted to balance Italy’s interests, European interests and her relationship with Trump, who welcomed her warmly.
“There will be a trade deal, 100%,” said President Donald Trump. “They want to make one very much and we are going to make a trade deal, I fully expect it, but it will be a fair deal.”
This official state visit was the latest of many by world leaders to try to appease Trump on his trade policy. Trump implemented 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum, 20% tariffs on cars and 10% tariffs on all other goods. Meloni does not have the power to make a deal for the entire 27-country bloc, however, she could position herself as mediator between the U.S. and the European Union. “It’s not only about Italy, it’s about the entire Europe,” she said.
President Trump agreed to go to Rome for an official visit in the near future and “conceive the possibility in that location of meeting also with Europe,” said Meloni. To continue negotiations, Vice President JD Vance will go to Rome on Friday. He will meet with the Prime Minister as well as the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
Meloni is a staunch Trump supporter. She was the only European leader who attended Trump’s inauguration in February. The president also called Meloni his favorite European leader. On tariffs, Meloni decided to leverage her good relationship with the U.S. president to move things along.
“I cannot lock this deal in the name of the European Union,” she said. “I’m here to find the best way to make us both stronger on the two shores of the Atlantic.”
The Italian economy is particularly vulnerable to the new tariffs imposed by President Trump. 10% of Italy’s total exports are sent to the United States. Sales to the U.S. represented approximately $76 billion in 2024. Italy is the third-largest European exporter to the U.S. after France and Germany. Along with Italy’s best-known exports such as wine and pasta, Italy also exports pharmaceuticals, textiles, industrial machinery and chemicals, among other products.
Confindustria, an Italian business lobby, recently projected Italy’s GDP will decrease from 0.4 to 0.6% by 2026 due to Trump’s tariffs and might destroy more than 50,000 jobs.
In an interview with Italian media TG1, Meloni opposed Trump’s tariffs. “I think the choice of the United States is the wrong choice,” she said. “I think it doesn’t benefit either the European economy or the US economy.”
However, she explained her reticence to impose retaliatory tariffs.
“I am not convinced that the best answer is to respond to tariffs with other tariffs because the impact could be bigger on our economy than the US economy.”
Meloni supports a zero-for-zero tariffs zone with the United States. However, she recognized that Italy’s interests with America might not align with broader EU interests.
In Washington, Meloni said Italy will increase its U.S. imports of liquefied natural gas, LNG. The U.S. had long demanded that the E.U. increase gas imports from the U.S. and halt imports of Russian gas to the E.U. She also told Trump that Rome would announce a 2% increase in defense spending at the next NATO summit.
“I want to make the West great again,” she said.
Tensions have been rising between Brussels and Rome. Other European leaders pushed for the E.U to take a unified approach on tariffs. French President Emmanuel Macron stated that “Ultimately, at this stage, we need to stay united and determined. And I say this because I know what’s going to happen — the biggest players will tend to go it alone. And that’s not a good idea. Because we have strength. It’s a market of 450 million people.”
Meloni also expressed skepticism over the European Commission’s $650 billion rearmament plan. The prime minister refused to send Italian peace-keeping troops to Ukraine. Both positions and her solo negotiation with Trump reflect Meloni’s reticence to anger the U.S.