Describing Meloni, who has often joked about her height, Trump has described her as “vibrant and agile,” emphasizing that “together they can fix the world a little.” The two leaders, although politically similar, are not necessarily connected to all the world’s most pressing conflicts
A few years ago, it would have been unthinkable that Italy would be home to one of the most stable governments in Europe. Governments in Italy tend to last little more than a year before collapsing, making the country and its policies unpredictable. But a number of factors, including government crises in relatively stable countries like France and Germany, and the rising popularity of the current coalition in Italy, led by far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who has been in power since 2022, have made Rome the main player in Europe’s relations with the United States under Donald Trump’s second presidency.
During his last term, Trump called Europe “the enemy” of the United States. This time, Meloni has the potential to change that approach, thanks in part to their mutual friend Elon Musk.
Musk, Trump and Meloni dined together in the presence of French President Emmanuel Macron after the official reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris last weekend, an experience that Trump later told The New York Post “was positive.” “We had a great time,” he said, adding that he and Meloni had spent “a lot of time together.” Describing Meloni, who has often joked about her height, Trump has called her “lively and agile,” noting that “together they can fix the world a little bit.” The two leaders, while politically similar, are not necessarily connected on all the world’s most pressing conflicts.
Meloni has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine, having met with President Volodymyr Zelensky many times since Russia invaded.
Whether she could influence Trump in any way is hard to predict, though. “Before there is a new government in Germany and with the current situation in France, when Trump comes to the White House, Italy will have a kind of monopoly, as the only country with a stable government,” Giovanni Orsina, director of the political science department at the Luiss University in Rome, told CNN. “Meloni and Musk have a very good ongoing relationship, and Musk could be a kind of best friend to both of them, as long as the Trump-Musk honeymoon lasts.”
Musk and Meloni formed their very strong friendship in the summer of 2023, and the Tesla founder chaired Meloni’s Brothers of Italy political convention, Atreyu, in December of last year. He is reportedly set to make a surprise appearance at the same convention this weekend in Rome, which is being chaired by Argentine President Javier Miel, another of Trump’s populist friends.
So close is their relationship that Meloni and Musk had to respond on social media earlier this year to dispel rumors of a romance between them, after Musk complimented her beauty as he presented her with the Global Citizens Award on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. Orsina believes Musk could make it easier for the Italian prime minister to “reach out” to Trump whenever she feels the need to have talks. “There’s a good chance that Meloni will take the initiative and be a bridge between the Trump administration and Europe,” Orsina says. For now, Meloni seems to be on Musk’s side, and as a result, on Trump’s right. Orsina adds that Meloni will be a more reactive than proactive politician when it comes to Trump’s approach to Europe.
