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Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni paid an unofficial visit to US President-elect Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago residence on Saturday, where the two leaders engaged in discussions and shared a meal, according to an AFP report.
The visit included viewing of “The Eastman Dilemma: Lawfare or Justice,” a documentary that delves into the controversial case of a lawyer charged with attempting to overturn the 2020 US election results in Trump’s favor.
During the meeting, Trump reportedly praised Meloni as “a fantastic woman” and commended her leadership on the European stage.
The visit is part of a broader series of diplomatic engagements by international leaders seeking to build relationships with Trump’s incoming administration ahead of his January 20 inauguration.
“Nice evening with Donald Trump, whom I thank for the welcome. Ready to work together,” Meloni wrote on social media, sharing a photograph of herself with Trump at the entrance of his Florida estate.
“She’s really taken Europe by storm, and everyone else, and we’re just having dinner tonight,” Trump said, according to US journalists present during the visit.
Meloni’s visit follows similar high-profile interactions between Trump and other foreign leaders, including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. The flurry of diplomatic activity reflects international efforts to navigate Trump’s proposed economic policies, which include potential heavy import tariffs that have raised questions among traditional US allies about future trade relations.
The dinner was attended by Trump’s key cabinet nominees, including Senator Marco Rubio, slated to serve as secretary of state, and Representative Mike Waltz, the nominee for national security advisor. Photographs from the event showed Meloni engaging with Rubio and Waltz, suggesting discussions on potential international collaborations.
One pressing topic speculated to have been on the agenda was the detention of Italian journalist Cecilia Sala, who was arrested in Iran last month. Italian foreign minister Antonio Tajani has described securing Sala’s release as a diplomatic priority, as European leaders continue to express concern over her imprisonment. Iranian authorities have accused Sala of violating local laws, a claim that has drawn widespread criticism across Europe.
Meloni’s visit to Florida comes on the heels of her attendance at the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, where she dined with both Trump and billionaire Elon Musk.
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