For international leaders, visiting the White House these days is an unpredictable undertaking that comes with a risk of being embarrassed, or worse, berated, by President Trump. For Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy, Thursday’s meeting in the Oval Office was largely a smooth affair, with Mr. Trump covering her in hyperbolic praise and making clear he is fond of her.
But beyond the friendly anti-immigration banter, and shared optimism that the European Union and the United States would reach a trade deal, neither leader indicated that they had made substantial progress on negotiations over tariffs and other issues.
“We’re in no rush,” Mr. Trump said.
Ms. Meloni was the first European leader to visit the White House since Mr. Trump imposed and then partly paused sweeping tariffs against the European Union. The meeting dispelled any remaining doubts on the special relationship between the two leaders. But what the rapport could yield for Italy and for Europe remained unclear.
“She was treated like a first-rank ally,” said Lorenzo Castellani, a political scientist at Luiss Guido Carli university in Rome, adding that it was unusual for Italy, which is not a military or economic powerhouse.
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“She became a de facto mediator,” he said, “but in concrete terms, she did not bring anything home.”
The European countries’ trade policy is conducted collectively through the European Union, and Ms. Meloni was clear that she could not look for a deal on the bloc’s behalf. Perhaps her biggest achievement: Mr. Trump accepted her invitation for a visit in the “near future” to Rome, where she hoped he would meet with European officials.
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