Meloni makes a surprise visit to Florida to meet Trump, boost ties

WEST PALM BEACH/ROME: Italian PM Giorgia Meloni made a surprise trip to Florida to meet with Donald Trump late on Saturday, as the key European leader sought to strengthen ties with the president-elect before his inauguration on Jan 20.

No details of the talks were released, but Italian deputy PM Matteo Salvini said on Sunday they covered a range of issues including the plight of Cecilia Sala, an Italian journalist detained last month in Iran. "Well done Giorgia Meloni for visiting Donald Trump to talk about peace, industrial and commercial cooperation, security, and the freeing of Cecilia Sala," Salvini posted on X.

Members of Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort welcomed Meloni with applause. "This is very exciting. I'm here with a fantastic woman, the prime minister of Italy," Trump told the crowd, according to a media pool report. "She's really taken Europe by storm." Meloni is seen as a potentially strong partner for Trump given her conservative credentials and the stability of the right-wing coalition she has led in Italy since late 2022. Meloni has also forged a close ties with billionaire tech CEO Elon Musk, a close Trump ally.

Meloni became the latest in the handful of foreign leaders who have visited Trump in Florida since the Nov. 5 election. He has met with Argentine President Javier Milei, Hungary PM Viktor Orban, and Canadian PM Justin Trudeau.