President Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Thursday said they’re confident a fair tariff agreement can be hammered out between the U.S. and the European Union.
Ms. Meloni is the first European leader to meet the president in Washington since he imposed retaliatory tariffs on EU imports earlier in the month.
The president and Ms. Meloni have had a strong relationship, but Italy was not excluded from the Trump tariff plan. Along with other EU nations, it was hit with a general 20% tariff.
Still, the tone of the talks appeared positive, with Ms. Meloni telling reporters, “I’m here to make the West stronger. I believe in the West’s unity. And I think we have to talk and find ourselves in the best middle way to grow together. … That’s why I’m here. If I didn’t think [the U.S.] wasn’t a reliable partner, I wouldn’t be here.”
Ms. Meloni said she wants Mr. Trump to pay an official visit to Italy and talk with other EU countries.
“I think that’s the best way, that we simply speak frankly about the needs that everyone of us has,” she said. “And find the results in the middle that’s useful for all. … I’m here to find the best way to make us both stronger.”
Mr. Trump praised the relationship he has with Ms. Meloni and said a trade deal with the EU will happen.
“We have a very good relationship together, and as countries, we have a very good relationship,” Mr. Trump said.
“There’ll be a trade deal — 100%,” when asked if a trade deal would happen between the EU and the U.S. by the time a 90-day negotiating pause issued by the U.S. expires.
Ms. Meloni is the first European leader to meet the president in Washington since Mr. Trump imposed tariffs on European imports earlier in the month.
Mr. Trump and Ms. Meloni have had a strong relationship, but Italy was not excluded from the Trump tariff plan. Along with other European Union nations, it was hit with a general 20% tariff.
Ms. Meloni has said the tariffs were “wrong,” but she would work with President Trump to avoid a “trade war.”
“As you can imagine, I’m feeling no pressure at all,” Ms. Meloni said humorously at an event in Rome earlier this week. “It’s a difficult moment, let’s see how the situation develops, but let’s remember that we have the strength, ability and intelligence to overcome any obstacle.”
Ms. Meloni is the leader of the conservative populist Brothers of Italy party, whose popularity is growing along with other similar political movements in other European countries. She’s expected to host Vice President J.D. Vance in Rome on Friday.
Mr. Trump previously met with Ms. Meloni in January at his Mar-a-Lago estate when he lauded her as a “fantastic woman” who was “really taking Europe by storm.”
On April 2, Mr. Trump announced a 20% reciprocal tariff on all imported EU goods. The EU then retaliated with 25% tariffs targeting 21 billion euros’ ($23.8 billion) worth of U.S. exports.
Mr. Trump later delayed the reciprocal tariffs on all countries, except China, for 90 days to allow for negotiations. The EU then paused its retaliatory tariff “to give negotiations a chance,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said last week.
However, if the negotiations fail, the EU has vowed to add on to its tariffs, which Mr. Trump for years has called oppressive.
