The much-anticipated meeting between Italian leader Giorgia Meloni and her "ally" in the United States ended with mixed results, amid a somewhat tense atmosphere. "The goal for me is to make the West great again," Meloni said before she met with Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday, April 17. The far-right Italian head of government was the first European leader to visit Washington since Trump's "Liberation Day" on April 2, when he launched his aggressive trade policy.

As the leader of the third-largest European exporter to the US, representing nearly €50 billion worth of goods sold to the US annually, Meloni came to strengthen her ties with Washington, against the backdrop of a 90-day timeframe in which to negotiate a trade deal between the US and the EU.

Indeed, the US president expressed his "100%" certainty that a tariff agreement with Europe would be concluded in the future, "but it'll be a fair deal," he said, as his team criticized European non-tariff trade barriers. Eager to position herself as a "bridge" between the two sides of the Atlantic, Meloni nevertheless ended up without anything to show for her visit, beyond a possible Trump visit to Italy to negotiate with the EU. This announcement, which she made alone, did not spark her host's enthusiasm, nor did he even begin to confirm the trip.

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