Overnight, it seemed that the deadlock over trade tariffs between the US and Europe had been broken by Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, accompanied by the slogan of "Making the West Great Again." Is this really the case?

According to reports from China Central Television (CCTV), U.S. President Donald Trump told visiting Prime Minister Meloni during a luncheon at the White House on April 17 that "a trade agreement will definitely be reached, one hundred percent sure," adding, "They are very eager to reach an agreement. We will definitely reach a trade agreement. I fully expect it, and it will be a fair agreement."

On April 17, 2025, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, U.S., U.S. President Donald Trump met with Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni. Visual China Group photo.

Following the luncheon, Trump posted a photo on his social media account showing both of them giving a thumbs-up, with Meloni's head leaning toward Trump.

As the only European leader present at Trump's inauguration on January 20, Meloni has now become the first European leader to visit the White House after the latest round of tariff wars. If she can facilitate a meeting between Trump and EU leaders in Rome, her title as "Trump's Whisperer in Europe" seems to be confirmed.

Xin Hua, director and researcher of the EU Research Center at Shanghai International Studies University, analyzed for The Paper (www.thepaper.cn) that Meloni and Trump, both holding right-wing political positions, share similar ideologies and agree on domestic issues. In foreign policy, due to differences in national strength between the US and Italy, they may have disagreements.

However, concerns are hard to hide within the EU, as some believe Meloni may not be able to defend the interests of the entire EU. Xin Hua further stated that no single member state can change the EU's external tariff policies, and whether the US and Europe can "definitely reach a trade agreement" as Trump said remains to be observed.

Bringing the "Trump Model" Back to Italy

According to an introduction by The Hill, Meloni showed interest in right-wing political activities at a young age, joining the youth branch of the Italian Social Movement (Movimento Sociale Italiano), the Youth Front, at just 15 years old, indicating her intention to legitimize right-wing populism. At the age of 31, she was the youngest minister in former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's right-wing government.

In contrast to French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor candidate Christian Lindner's firm support for the EU, free trade, and international institutions, Meloni is skeptical of all three, often opposing economic integration and multiculturalism within Europe.

In 2020, Meloni attended the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in the United States and expressed her intention to bring the "Trump model" back to Italy. However, after taking office in 2022, she began to tone down her extreme rhetoric and adopted a pragmatic approach to gain support from the establishment. This year, Meloni participated in CPAC online and criticized "woke culture" for causing the decline of the West, stating that Trump could fix everything, "The relationship between Italy and the U.S. is inseparable, and Trump will not abandon Europe."

Meloni is seen as "Trump's Whisperer in Europe." Around the time of Trump's second term, she met with him three times, including a high-profile meeting at Mar-a-Lago earlier this year. During her visit on April 17, Trump again praised Meloni in the Oval Office, saying "She has stirred up a storm in Europe."

"As a representative of right-wing populist political forces, Meloni certainly opposes LGBTQ rights and abortion, and endorses Trump's political ideology, which is clearly conservative and nationalist," Xin Hua analyzed. "Severe problems such as wealth disparity, class antagonism, societal rifts, and polarization of left-right politics are widespread within Western countries. These internal issues are similar across different nations, so Meloni would agree with Trump's views on domestic issues."

However, after the US imposed its tariff sticks on the EU, Italy was the country hardest hit in the European stock market. Meloni downplayed the issue, calling tariffs "a mistake but not a disaster," criticizing the EU's "Green Deal" for energy transition as "a genuine, unjustified internal tariff," and urging relaxation of government debt limits and proposing the use of post-pandemic EU recovery funds to help businesses affected by the trade war.

In the current US-EU trade dispute, Meloni is implementing Italy's traditional diplomatic approach by maintaining contact with both sides while trying to avoid taking sides.

An article by Politico analyzed that on one hand, Meloni's camp is shaping an image of being pro-Ukraine and pro-NATO. In February 2024, on the second anniversary of the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, she visited Kyiv and held a special meeting of G7 nations focused on Ukraine. After the recent quarrel between US and Ukrainian leaders at the White House, she called for a US-EU summit; on the other hand, Meloni is attempting to establish connections with Trump's camp, such as attending CPAC, doing her best to please MAGA Republicans who are anti-Ukraine.

"In foreign policy, Italy and the US differ significantly in terms of international standing and comprehensive national power, so there will inevitably be disagreements between Meloni and Trump on issues such as diplomacy and strategic security," Xin Hua explained. "The military threat from Russia is visible and tangible for Europe. It's normal for European countries to empathize with Ukraine."

On April 17, 2025, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, U.S., U.S. President Donald Trump met with Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni. Visual China Group photo.

Impacting EU Unity?

Trump once accused the EU of being created to undermine the US. The EU is responding to the trade dispute with a "carrot and stick" policy, preparing for negotiations and retaliatory tariffs. Italy is absent from America’s tariff list, which targets only the EU, making Meloni's visit seem groundless.

An article by Politico noted that some Italian officials pointed out that compared to the "axis" of France and Germany, which dominate EU affairs, Italy has numerous ties with the US in terms of economy and military. Italy's trade surplus with the US is 43 billion euros (approximately 356.9 billion RMB), second only to Germany and Ireland.

Unlike France, which is more strategically independent, Italy hosts the second-highest number of US military bases and nuclear weapons in Europe. Meloni's meeting with Trump reflects Italy's fear of losing its close ties with the US. Italy sees itself as an insurance outside the Franco-German axis. Lorenzo Castellani, a political analyst at Luiss University, told Reuters that Meloni's trip was more about acting as a "de facto mediator."

In addition to Italy, the two European nuclear powers, the UK and France, also want to position themselves as mediators between the US and Europe. It remains unclear whether Trump wants such bridges between the US and Europe. "As a leader of a major European economy, Meloni will become Trump's reference point in Europe," said Andrea Di Giuseppe, who handles contacts with the Republican Party in Italy under Meloni's leadership.

Since Trump's return to the White House, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has yet to meet with him. Before Meloni's visit to the US, she met with von der Leyen, who welcomed someone willing to convey messages to the Trump administration. Johann Wadephul, a member of Germany's Christian Democratic Union, commented, "Meloni's trip to Washington is an important signal. She can use her good relations with Trump to serve Europe."

Some European politicians are uneasy about Meloni's trip to the US. The French side believes that if each EU country visits the White House separately to meet with Trump, it will fall into his trap of dividing Europe. Marc Ferracci, French Minister of Industry, claimed, "We need unity. If Europe is united, it will be strong. Starting bilateral talks will destroy this momentum." When Macron visited the US earlier this year, Meloni questioned "on what basis should she go?"

Opponents argue that the current Trump and his allies claim incompetence in European leadership, and the connection between US and Italian leaders might affect the EU's unified stance on tariffs and other issues.

Xin Hua explained that, including tariffs, trade policies targeting third parties are exclusive competencies of the EU. Neither France nor Germany, nor Italy, any member state has the authority to decide the EU's external tariffs independently.

"Before the EU makes a decision on tariffs, member states can engage in debates. There has never been a moment when the EU did not debate fiercely on any issue internally. Mutual accusations and heated arguments among member states are quite normal. Meeting individually with Trump cannot substantially change the EU's external tariffs. Even after discussions, resolutions and decisions still need to be made at the EU level," Xin Hua said.

US and EU "One Hundred Percent" Reaching an Agreement?

During their talks, Trump and Meloni did not focus specifically on US-Italy or US-Europe relations but discussed topics they agreed on, such as immigration, combating woke culture, and defense spending. When asked about Italy's low defense spending, Meloni occasionally showed signs of displeasure. She expects Italy to announce at the upcoming NATO meeting in June that it will be able to meet NATO requirements—each member state should allocate 2% of its GDP to defense.

Xin Hua believes that it is normal for Europe and the US, as well as Meloni and Trump, to have differences in foreign policy and strategic security, but this will not affect their mutual recognition. This sense of recognition is based on similar perspectives on a series of internal issues within Western societies.

After their meeting at the White House, Meloni claimed, "My goal is to make the West great again, and I believe we can achieve this together."

Meloni also revealed that Trump has agreed to formally visit Italy and consider meeting EU representatives locally. Trump claimed he was "one hundred percent confident" that a trade agreement with the EU could be reached before the end of the 90-day tariff suspension period, which is the first time he has proposed this idea.

Despite his confidence in reaching an agreement, Trump said he was "not in a hurry" to do so. "Everyone wants an agreement. If they don't want an agreement, we will make one for them," Trump added, expecting to reach agreements with each country "in the next three to four weeks."

Alberto Rizzi, a policy researcher at the European Council on Foreign Relations, analyzed for Politico that Meloni's hope of returning to Europe with an agreement is slim, but the EU and some European countries may see her as a scout, "exploring the ground and laying the foundation for future negotiations."

According to a report by the BBC, although Meloni achieved no substantive victories regarding tariffs, she persuaded Trump to visit Italy and possibly meet other European leaders. Given the "concerning" state of US-EU relations, Meloni may view this as a significant victory, especially if Trump is willing to meet with von der Leyen.

Xin Hua, however, believes that whether the US and EU can reach a trade agreement as Trump says remains uncertain. "Trump has always liked to talk big, and he has already 'failed' on his promise to mediate the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Putin has not listened to him and stopped the fighting."

Reporter Zhu Runyu of The Paper

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Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7494796926961926697/

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