President-elect Donald Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni dined together at Mar-a-Lago on Saturday during a surprise visit ahead of President Biden's final overseas trip on Thursday.
Trump, 78, has lavished praise on the conservative Italian leader and introduced her to key figures in the incoming administration, including his nominee for secretary of state, Marco Rubio.
“This is so exciting,” President Trump said with a big smile as he walked through Mar-a-Lago's grand ballroom.
“I'm here with a wonderful woman, the Prime Minister of Italy. She's really taken Europe by storm, and other people, too, and we're just having dinner tonight.”
The two, along with some members of the Trump administration, screened a documentary condemning “legal action” against Trump allies who tried to overturn the 2020 election results.
The documentary, titled “Eastman's Dilemma: Law or Justice,” is about John East, the conservative lawyer who planned to contest President Trump's election loss and was later hit with calls for indictment and disbarment. It features insights from Mann.
President Trump and Meloni, 47, previously rubbed elbows during a visit to the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris in December.
Trump previously told the Post about his trip to France that he “spent a lot of time with her.” “I'm telling you, she's really alive. She's amazing.”
Meloni roared to power in Italy at the end of 2022 and quickly established himself as one of Europe's leading conservative leaders. The Biden administration also Ukraine's key ally.
The Italian prime minister, who has spoken limited English in the past, did not address the press during his trip to Mar-a-Lago.
Trump, who won the presidential election last year, has hosted a number of world leaders who came to Mar-a-Lago to meet with him ahead of the inauguration.
So far, he has met with Argentine President Javier Millei, the first major world leader to meet with him at Mar-a-Lago since the victory. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited after President Trump made the tariff threat. and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, with whom he has been friends for many years.
With his surprise visit to Mar-a-Lago, Meloni appears to be aiming to make Italy one of the incoming Trump administration's top European partners.
She also has a close relationship with tech tycoon Elon Musk, who is now a confidant of President Trump.
President Trump has at times clashed with European leaders, accusing them of grievances such as not paying NATO more of its fair share.
During Meloni's visit, neither side provided a key breakdown of the agenda.
Since his election victory, President Trump has encountered various world leaders outside of Mar-a-Lago, including French President Emmanuel Macron, who once again greeted them with a strong handshake. and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. The trio met during a trip to Notre Dame.
On Thursday, Biden is scheduled to visit Italy and the Vatican City from Jan. 9 to 12, his last overseas trip as commander in chief.
