Meloni to test her mettle as EU-US bridge in meeting with Trump

Milan: Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni will test her mettle as a bridge between the EU and the United States when she meets with US President Donald Trump in the White House on Thursday, the first European leader to have a face-to-face with Trump since he announced, and then suspended, 20% tariffs on European exports.

Meloni secured the meeting at a critical juncture in the trade war as Italy’s leader, but she also has, in a sense, been “knighted” to represent the European Union. She has been in close contact with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen ahead of the trip, and “the outreach is … closely coordinated,” a spokeswoman said. “We know we are in a difficult moment,” Meloni said this week in Rome. “Most certainly, I am well aware of what I represent, and what I am defending.”

The European Union is defending what it calls “the most important commercial relationship in the world,’’ with annual trade reaching $1.8 trillion). Trade negotiations fall under the European Commission’s authority, which is pushing for a zero-for-zero tariff deal with the US.