Could a deal be imminent?
President Trump appeared optimistic on Thursday that a trade deal with Europe was on the horizon; “There will be a trade deal, 100%,” Trump said, “but it will be a fair deal.”
Trump’s comments came in response to remarks made by visiting Italian PM Giorgia Meloni.
“I’m sure we can make a deal, and I am here to help with that,” Meloni told Trump ahead of lunch in the Cabinet Room.
“I cannot lock this deal in the name of the European Union,” she added. “My goal would be to invite President Trump to pay an official visit to Italy and understand if there’s a possibility when it comes to organize also such a meeting with Europe.”
From The New York Post:
The White House views Meloni, a close ally of the administration, as the best path for the president to enter talks with the 27-member bloc on a so-called “bespoke” trade deal.
“President Trump will simply focus on how Italy’s marketplace can be opened up, but also how they can help us with the rest of Europe,” an administration official said Thursday morning.
“We certainly see her as a valuable interlocutor.”
Trump met Meloni on the sidelines of the Notre Dame Cathedral reopening in Paris this past December — but the Thursday meeting will be first time they discuss policy in Washington.
In addition to trade, Trump and Meloni are expected to discuss defense, the reconstruction of Ukraine and possible cooperation in space and with critical technologies like AI.
Trump is also likely to raise the issue of European countries increasing their defense spending to meet the threat from Russia.
“Europe, as you know, is committed to do more, is working on tools to allow and help the [NATO] member states in increasing the defense spending. And we are convinced that everyone has to do more,” Meloni said.
Watch the clip below:
