Italian populist Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni told President Donald Trump on Thursday that he believes together we can “make the West great again.”
Meloni visited Trump at the White House on Thursday, where leaders shared a bilateral lunch and meeting. Speaking to the media in the Oval Office after the meeting, Meloni told Trump that he was aiming to restore the greatness of Western civilization.
“When I speak, I know that [the] Mostly in the West, I don’t talk about geographical space. I talk about civilization, and I want to make it stronger,” she told Trump.
Meloni thanked Trump for accepting that he “considered the official visit to Rome in the near future and the possibility of meeting Europe for the potential at that location.”
“For me, the goal is to make the West great again and I think we can do it together,” she added.
“You can,” Trump responded with a smirk.
Meloni also noted that Italy will increase its imports of liquefied natural gas, including those related to economics, defense, space and energy, including many bilateral topics she and Trump discussed during the meeting. Trump previously said they also discussed trade during the meeting.
Trump praised Meloni at the top of the press, saying he “doesn’t do a great job.”
“I think she has taken Europe by storm and has a lot of respect,” Trump said. “Everyone loves her and respects her. And I can’t say that about many people. And she has become friends and we really have a great relationship between Italy and ourselves.”
The meeting comes when Trump and the European Union suspend newly announced tariffs on each other for 90 days as trade negotiations unfold.
