Meloni to EU: We must be friends with Trump
The Italian leader is a potential bridge between Europe and the incoming right-wing U.S. administration.
Italy’s right-wing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Tuesday the European Union must be pragmatic and open with United States President-elect Donald Trump to avoid a trade war.
“It is essential to maintain a pragmatic, constructive and open approach with the new Trump administration, exploiting areas of potential and fruitful EU-U.S. cooperation and trying to prevent commercial disputes that would certainly not be good for anyone,” Meloni said in a speech to the Italian parliament ahead of the European Council summit in Brussels on Thursday.
Meloni currently appears to be one of the closest potential allies among EU leaders to Trump, representing a bridge between the EU and the Republican figurehead’s White House.
She was one of the first European leaders to congratulate him on his election win in November, and Trump reportedly called Meloni a “real live wire” after spending “a lot” of time with her in Paris earlier this month at the reopening of the Notre-Dame cathedral.
Trump also said Thursday that he is ready to work with Meloni. “She’s fantastic. She’s a fantastic leader and person,” he said.
On Trump’s threat to impose tariffs on European goods, Meloni previously said that the EU should focus on itself instead of “what the U.S. can do” for Europe.
“Don’t ask what the U.S. can do for you, ask what Europe should do for itself,” she said ahead of the EU leaders’ meeting in Budapest on Nov. 8.
“Europe must find a balance … I’m thinking of the issues of competitiveness, tariffs … ,” she added.
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