Donald Trump said that there would be “100%” a trade agreement with the European Union, in a rare demonstration of optimism about his relationship with Europe while he met Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at the White House.
Meloni, who forged a strong personal relationship with Trump, was in Washington on Thursday to try to trigger any escalation of the American president's trade war and prices on the EU.
“Oh, there will be a 100%trade agreement,” said Trump, referring to the single market. “They want to make a lot, and we will conclude a commercial agreement, I expect it fully and it will be a fair trade agreement.”
Trump's comments have marked a change of tone after he and his best advisers have disrected the EU as “pathetic”, while accusing the block of “tearing up” the United States.
Meloni also concluded a note of trust in the progress of the talks to conclude an agreement, a little more than two weeks after Trump announced prices on trade partners, especially the EU.
“I am sure that we can conclude an agreement and I am here to help on this subject,” said Meloni, who urged Brussels not to degenerate the trade war, but to negotiate instead.
She also said that Trump had agreed to visit Italy and that she would try to organize to meet her other European leaders during her trip.
“The objective for me is to make the West big again-and I think that together, we can do it,” she said, citing their “fight against WOKE ideology”.
Trump praised Meloni, calling him “a great talent” and “one of the real leaders in the world”.
But the American president refused to engage with the president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, with whom Meloni was in close contact before his trip.
EU and United States officials have started this week on Trump's prices on block imports, which are now fixed at 25% on steel, aluminum and cars, and 10% on all other exports.
Washington threatened to restore a 20% tariff on EU imports within 90 days if talks fail.
However, EU’s commercial negotiators complained that they have not received requests from the United States, which officials hope that the Italian chief will be able to clarify.
Meloni “has an advantage over EU mediators – she speaks to the decision maker,” said Stefano Stefanini, the former Italian ambassador to NATO.
He said his meeting with Trump could be useful for the EU to discover what he wanted. “The US trade representative does not really know,” added Stefanini.
“When you hire Trump on the basis of” national interest “, it's his favorite language,” said Stefanini. “He might not give in, but that is something he understands. If you tell him about transatlantic solidarity, it is a waste of time.”
High US officials said before the meeting that Trump would discuss defense spending, as well as the digital services of Italy, which trade officials claim to be discriminating against US companies.
“President Trump is clear for all world leaders with regard to trade, his expectations are policies … who recognize a real partnership and give access to the world markets in the name of American manufacturing,” said an official.
“We are open, we are available, we are ready to conclude agreements with countries that take this seriously,” he added.
But Trump also boasted of the income generated by his prices. “We make a lot of money, we take a lot of money,” said Trump. “We take billions and billions of dollars.”
The United States is the second largest export market in Italy, and prices would exert additional pressure on the already slow economic growth in Italy. “We know that we are in a difficult moment”, ” Melons said before his trip. “We will do our best, as always.”
Meloni told the White House that Italy would buy more LNG in the United States, Italian companies would invest up to 10 billion euros in the country, and Rome would soon announce that it made its NATO commitment to spending up to 2% of GDP in defense.
Trump gave little public suspicion of his EU requests in exchange to retreat the prices. “I am not a big fan of Europe and what they did with immigration,” he said. “They must become intelligent.”
Stefanini said Washington could put pressure on Europe. “If the EU concludes an agreement with the United States, it will be forced to break down or decade from China accordingly. It's either China or the United States. “
Chinese President Xi Jinping hoped to capitalize on Brussels trade tensions in Washington, suggesting that China and the EU should “resist unilateral intimidation.” But Meloni has been wary of China for a long time, which she considers a strategic rival of the West, and in 2023, she officially removed Italy from the flagship initiative of the belt and the road infrastructure of XI.
While some EU member states are thwarted by the flexible stand of Italy on reprisal rates, those responsible for Brussels officials supported their trip. “We are aware that she has a relationship with Trump and it can be precious,” said a diplomat.
Lucio Malan, Senator of the Meloni Rightwing Brothers' party, said Meloni had shown “courage” by speaking directly to Trump, since trade policy is Brussels competence.
“It would have been easier to stay at home and say” after all, it is an EU company “,” said Malan. But Meloni “chose another way”.
Additional reports by Andy Bounds in Brussels
