Trump Welcomes ‘Fantastic’ Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at Mar-a-Lago – One America News Network
OAN Staff Blake Wolf
11:04 AM – Sunday, January 5, 2025
During her visit to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate on Saturday, President-elect Donald Trump referred to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni as a “fantastic woman.”
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Meloni, who has been the leader of the conservative populist Brothers of Italy party since 2014, was elected as Prime Minister in 2022, campaigning on a platform focused on family values and strict immigration policies.
During the dinner on Saturday evening, Trump lauded Meloni for having “stormed Europe.”
“This is incredibly exciting,” Trump declared. “I’m here with a fantastic woman, the Prime Minister of Italy. She has truly taken Europe by storm.”
While the specific topics of their conversation remain undisclosed, Meloni, along with other global leaders, is keen to reinforce relations with the incoming 47th president in advance of his January 20th inauguration.
Among the participants at Meloni’s visit were Trump’s cabinet nominees for Secretary of State, Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), and National Security Advisor, Representative Mike Waltz (R-Fla.).
Both the United States and Italy have been grappling with significant challenges related to illegal immigration, creating a natural alignment between the two conservative allies as they resist progressive immigration policies.
Furthermore, Meloni appears to have adopted aspects of Trump’s immigration strategy by implementing a “return hubs” policy, which closely mirrors Trump’s “remain in Mexico” approach.
Trump’s “remain in Mexico” policy, which was rescinded by the Biden administration, prevented illegal immigrants from being released into the U.S. while their asylum claims were processed. This policy effectively discouraged illegal immigration by making it clear that migrants would not be allowed entry into the U.S. pending the often lengthy asylum hearing process.
“This is a new, courageous, unprecedented course, one that beautifully embodies the European spirit,” Meloni remarked recently about the “return hubs” policy.
“I take pride in Italy being, in this respect, a model for others to emulate,” she added.
The shared perspectives of Trump and Meloni on critical immigration issues likely position her as one of Trump’s most prominent allies within the European Union as he heads into his second term.
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