Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni paid a surprise and unofficial visit to US President-elect Donald Trump at his residence in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, according to the Prime Minister’s Office on Sunday.
Photographs released Sunday by the far-right prime minister’s office show Giorgia Meloni and Donald Trump posing in front of the entrance to the Mar-a-Lago residence and chatting in the reception room, a Christmas tree visible in the background -plan.
These photos of the two leaders side by side were on the front page of all Italian media on Sunday. They also show Giorgia Meloni shaking hands with Florida Senator Marco Rubio. During this evening, the president-elect, Giorgia Meloni and her services, as well as a who’s who of conservatives participated in the screening of a documentary on the legal war against Donald Trump’s former lawyer, John Eastman, after the 2020 election.
The visit comes four days before a visit to Rome by US President Joe Biden, who is due to meet the Italian leader and, in a separate meeting, Pope Francis.
The Italian leader is striving to forge a rapprochement between her country and the American continent. She visited Argentine President Javier Milei last November, to whom she granted Italian citizenship. The liberal politician, known for his scandals, then returned the favor during a stay in Rome in December.
Several other foreign leaders – including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban – have visited the US president-elect in recent months, whose inauguration ceremony is scheduled for January 20.
