OAN Staff Blake Wolf
11:04am – Sunday, January 5, 2025
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni visited Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence on Saturday and was praised by President-elect Donald Trump as a “wonderful woman.”
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Meloni has been the leader of the conservative populist Italian Brotherhood party since 2014 and was elected prime minister in 2022. She campaigned on pro-family and anti-illegal immigration themes.
At a dinner Saturday night, President Trump praised Meloni, saying he has “taken Europe by storm.”
“This is very exciting,” President Trump said. “I'm here with an amazing woman, the Prime Minister of Italy. She has really taken Europe by storm.”
It is currently unclear what the two leaders discussed, but Meloni, along with other world leaders, is aiming to strengthen ties with the next 47 countries and regions.th President ahead of time his january 20thth Inauguration ceremony.
Meloni's visit to the Trump residence was also attended by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), a candidate for Trump's cabinet, and national security adviser Rep. Mike Walz (R-Fla.).
Both the United States and Italy are facing large waves of illegal immigration, and the two countries, which are naturally conservative allies, are uniting to roll back progressive immigration policies.
Additionally, Meloni appears to have overhauled President Trump's immigration policies, enacting a “return to base” policy that is clearly similar to Trump's “remain in Mexico” policy.
President Trump's “Remain in Mexico” policy has been repealed by the Biden administration, which does not allow illegal immigrants to be released into the United States while they are in the asylum process. The policy discourages illegal aliens from seeking asylum because they are not allowed to enter the United States before an asylum hearing, which can take years due to the backlog of cases.
“This is a new, courageous and unprecedented path, but one that fully reflects the European spirit,” Meloni recently said of the “Hub Return” policy.
“I am proud that Italy has set an example in this respect,” she added.
Trump and Meloni share important views on immigration, making Meloni likely to be one of Trump's staunchest allies in the European Union heading into his second term.
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