Italian Prime Minister Meloni will hold talks with Trump in Washington

Meloni is latest in a string of world leaders to arrive in Washington for talks with Trump following his aborted global trade war.

President Donald Trump's latest foreign visitor, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, is faced with a tricky balancing act as she tries to foster goodwill between her political family in the European Union and her ideological friend in the White House.

Right now, there is little love lost between these transatlantic trading partners.

The Italian leader is part of a relatively new crop of hard-right European leaders who have developed ties with the Trump administration. Sharing the president's predilection for hard-line anti-immigration policies, Meloni has gained a reputation as something of a Trump whisperer — the president has called her “a real live wire” and a “fantastic woman.”

Giorgia Meloni talks with Donald Trump at Mar-A-Lago Club in January.Filippo Attili / Palazzo Chigi via AFP-Getty Images fileMeloni is just one of dozens of leaders scrambling to react to Trump’s sweeping global tariffs. The E.U. faced a 20% tax on all goods sold into the United States, before an international market meltdown saw Trump pause these levies and instead impose a 10% rate across the board.

Trump has claimed countries have been lining up and “kissing my ass” to try to strike deals with his administration.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/trump-meloni-italy-trade-eu-tariffs-white-house-leyen-rcna201684

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