The EU is in the dark about the reasons behind Trump’s trade policy. Now Brussels is relying on Meloni. During her trip to Brussels, Italy’s Prime Minister is expected to find out what the US President aims to achieve. And Meloni has an ace up her sleeve.
Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and US President Donald Trump get along famously. This is a crucial advantage as Meloni travels to Washington today to smooth things over between Europeans and the US. Apparently, Ursula von der Leyen had a similar idea. The President of the European Commission is said to have spoken with Meloni several times before the trip. For Brussels, the Italian Prime Minister is expected to explore the negotiating space in the trade dispute with the White House.
Meloni and Trump share some common memories. She had visited Trump’s golf club in Mar-a-Lago before he moved into the White House. Subsequently, Meloni was invited to Trump’s inauguration – as the only European head of government. A few weeks later, she spoke at the CPAC conference, a meeting of American right-wing populists. Trump’s supporters cheered her on as she railed against the “virus of cancel culture and woke ideology.”
Trump’s praise for Meloni so far is no surprise. He called Meloni a “fantastic person.” In another instance, Trump referred to her as “a real bundle of energy” and someone he could work with “to make the world a little bit better.” When the two flatter each other, apparently there is no insincerity, but rather genuine conviction.
No Success for EU Trade Commissioner in Washington
While Trump declared a 90-day ceasefire in the trade war with Europeans, he only temporarily lifted some tariffs. The base tariff of 10 percent on all goods from the EU remains, as do additional import restrictions on aluminum, steel, and cars. Now Trump is also considering imposing tariffs on semiconductors, pharmaceutical products, and rare earths. Faced with this threat, the EU emphasized that its retaliatory tariffs against the US would only be suspended when Trump shows readiness to negotiate.
The prospects for a solution may not be bad: Recession fears and economic turmoil in the US, triggered by his chaotic trade policy, have cornered the US President. However, Trump has so far lacked concrete offers to his trading partners. Even in Brussels, nobody knows what Trump actually aims to achieve.
On Monday, the attempt by EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefcovic to reach an agreement with US Trade Minister Howard Lutnick in Washington failed. Šefcovic reportedly left the meeting after two hours feeling powerless and struggled to define the goals of the American side, as reported by Bloomberg.
Trump Targets China
According to media reports, Trump now has a plan. He will make a tougher stance towards China a condition for negotiations with his trading partners, as reported by the “Wall Street Journal.” The US government intends to persuade countries to ban the transport of goods through their territory to China. Washington also plans to prohibit Chinese companies from establishing a presence in these countries to circumvent US tariffs and prevent the entry of cheaper Chinese industrial goods to the market.
Meloni presents herself as an ideal interlocutor for Trump in this regard. In the EU, she not only advocated maintaining transatlantic relations despite all disagreements but also opposed Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who, in light of the trade conflict with the US, had called for closer ties between the EU and China during a visit to Beijing.
Initially, France warned against Meloni acting alone, suspecting that the Italian Prime Minister might be solely focused on her own advantage. However, even in Paris, the fear seems to gradually be giving way to hope that Meloni could reach Trump. Trump’s statement that he ultimately wants to negotiate on trade policy with the EU as a bloc likely contributed to calming concerns. Previously, there was concern that the anti-EU provocateur Trump might seriously attempt to divide the European Union and only engage with the governments of individual member states.
JD Vance Visits Meloni in Rome
Although the worst-case scenario is temporarily off the table, Europeans still do not know Trump’s motives. Is Trump truly aiming for a tougher EU stance towards Beijing? If the US President trusts someone from Europe, it is likely only a Prime Minister who shares his right-wing populist ideology. Another proof of their good relationship is the visit of Trump’s US Vice President JD Vance to Rome – just one day after Meloni’s return from Washington. Meloni also has a close relationship with Trump’s advisor for government efficiency, Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Meloni has met with Musk several times and described him as a “brilliant man.”
For Meloni, the conversation with Trump, despite all the flattery, will be a tightrope walk. Economically and politically, Italy is dependent on both the EU and the US. Rome heavily relies on Washington when it comes to defense and trade. Both aspects could backfire on Meloni in the Oval Office. After all, Trump has stated that he hates nothing more than “European freeloaders” who have a trade deficit with the US and, in his view, do not contribute enough money to the NATO budget.
Italy does not even invest 1.5 percent of its GDP in defense. This falls far short of Trump’s demands, who now requires NATO partners to allocate 5 percent of their GDP to defense. With a trade surplus of nearly 40 billion euros in goods with the US, Italy ranks as the third largest among EU countries – after Germany and Ireland.
Von der Leyen will likely be the first to find out how far Meloni has progressed in Washington. According to media reports, the Commission President will speak with the Italian Prime Minister again after her return. For Meloni, this is a significant opportunity: she could prove in Brussels to be the only true Trump whisperer among European heads of government. Or she may return empty-handed.