Italy’s
Meloni is positioning herself as bridge between EU and Trump – but will it
work?
Published:
April 28, 2025 2.37pm CEST
Authors
Julia
Khrebtan-Hörhager
Associate
Professor of Critical Cultural & International Studies, Colorado State
University
Miranda
McCreary
Lecturer in
Communications, University of Colorado Boulder
Italian
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni recently became the first European leader to
visit the United States after President Donald Trump announced a new tariff
regime on trading partners, including a 20% levy on imports from the European
Union.
While those
tariffs are currently on hold, the ongoing threat of them being enacted
provided a telling backdrop for Meloni’s mid-April 2025 visit.
Controversial
and often perceived by critics as calculating, Meloni has walked a tightrope
between European Union solidarity and embracing far-right causes since becoming
Italy’s prime minister in 2022. She was the only European leader to attend
Trump’s inauguration in January 2025 and counts tech titan Elon Musk among her
allies.
In many
ways, Meloni reflects Europe’s own identity crisis: a regional power with
global ambition. Italy, after all, was a founding pillar of the European Union,
hosting the signing of the Treaties of Rome in 1957 establishing the European
common market. Yet, for decades, Italy has often stood just outside the core of
EU influence, overshadowed by the Franco-German partnership.
Still, when
the moment is right, Italy knows how to wield its leverage, especially as a
bridge between clashing camps in Brussels.
In
Washington, Meloni made her pitch to Trump: a tighter ideological alliance over
shared disdain for “woke” politics, diversity, equity and inclusion agendas,
and lax immigration. She offered a sweetener – more Italian investment in the
U.S. as a sop to the transatlantic trade dispute. But she also reiterated her
and the EU’s support for Ukraine, a direct contrast to Trump’s skepticism to
continued U.S. support in Ukraine’s conflict with Russia.
In so doing,
Meloni has cast herself as someone who can serve both Brussels and Washington
without burning bridges on either side. The gamble? That balancing act could
backfire. Trump’s demands over trade and increased defense spending by NATO
countries force Meloni to choose between appeasing Washington or staying in
line with EU norms. Her overtures to Trump risk alienating key European allies
who are wary of his disruptive politics.
In trying to
play both sides, she could end up isolated from both – undermining Italy’s
credibility and influence on the world stage.
Meloni as a
bridge
The story of
modern Italy has been one of playing off sides.
During the
Cold War, Italy walked a fine line between NATO commitments and accommodating a
powerful domestic Communist Party.
Italy was
regularly governed by a series of often fraught center-right coalitions that
were forced to navigate fractious politics and quid pro quo political violence
between the far right and far left. The center-right Christian Democrats that
dominated this period married conservatism at home with a strong pro-European
outlook.
In the first
decades after the Cold War ended, Italy continued to carve out its own lane –
pushing for leniency on issues like immigration and fiscal rules. The period
saw Italy oscillate between pro-European integration and bouts of
euroscepticism, with successive governments frequently challenging Brussels
over budgetary constraints or border management.
Meloni’s own
rise is deeply rooted in the post-2015 tensions, when Italy – overwhelmed by
the Mediterranean migrant crisis – felt abandoned by its European partners. Her
party’s hard-line stance on immigration capitalized on public frustration.
While she now presents herself as firmly pro-EU, it’s a version of Europe that
aligns with her own vision: more secure borders, stronger national sovereignty
and less technocratic interference.
Ironically,
as the bloc itself drifts rightward on migration, Meloni’s positions no longer
seem so fringe – perhaps allowing her to embrace the EU pragmatically, even as
she critiques it ideologically. Meloni’s own background and rise reflect this
ambiguity and duality. Emerging from a political movement with fascist roots,
she now presents herself as a passionate Europeanist and pacifist while
maintaining right-wing positions on immigration and cultural issues.
Meloni has
governed in that fashion: cultivating ties with conservative heavyweights like
Trump and right-wing European leaders, pushing back against Brussels on
contentious policy issues, but also remaining firmly committed to the European
project when it suits her. Especially when the economy is at stake.
Meloni as
pragmatic European
Meloni’s
strongly nationalist rhetoric and right-wing cultural views might appear at
odds with the EU’s purpose, but her approach to the continent is highly
pragmatic.
While she
regularly critiques EU bureaucracy at home, her government remains the largest
recipient of EU recovery funds, securing €191.5 billion (US$218 billion) from
the EU’s post-COVID recovery plan program. That critical cash infusion for an
aging country with persistently sluggish growth comes with a commitment to
enact a series of stringent fiscal reforms and austerity measures by 2026. In
addition, Italy continues to benefit from long-standing cohesion and structural
funds, particularly the economically struggling south,.
Meanwhile,
Meloni’s support for Ukraine helps her stand apart from pro-Russia voices in
her coalition and strengthens Italy’s standing with NATO and the EU. It’s
another strategic move that boosts her credibility both at home and abroad. Far
from being a fringe player, Italy under Meloni is central to the EU’s narrative
of unity, solidarity and survival.
A spaghetti
Western alliance?
While Meloni
reconciles her nationalist views vis-a-vis the supranationalist EU, she has
also prioritized selling her idea of Italy on a bilateral basis.
That has
largely focused on a shrewd charm offensive in the U.S., particularly since the
return of Trump, whose right-wing administration provides any easy fit for
Meloni. She has attempted to play both Trump and Musk to Italy’s advantage,
leveraging Rome’s geopolitical position to secure economic agreements and ease
tensions wrought by Trump tariffs, which Meloni called “wrong.”
Trump has
been quick to praise her stance against “anti-woke” politics, while Meloni
promises to help resolve trade issues and boost U.S. gas imports, all while
keeping Italy at the forefront of negotiations. With Musk, she has attempted to
position Italy as a key partner in tech and energy, navigating the global game
with both finesse and ambition.
Italy runs a
substantial trade surplus with the U.S. and underspends on NATO defense – two
things that typically trigger Trump’s criticism. Yet with Meloni, Trump has
been full of admiration: “She’s taken Europe by storm,” he said in April,
agreeing during their last meeting to meet again in Rome in the near future.
Meloni’s
diplomatic ambitions extend beyond the U.S., including making moves in the
Middle East, particularly with Saudi Arabia. By promoting Italy as a gateway to
Europe, she is securing key investments in energy and infrastructure, while
boosting Italian exports and increasing her diplomatic leverage. The fact that
many in Europe, and indeed Italy, eye such overtures toward Saudi money with
distaste, appears neither here nor there. After all, in Italy there has long
been an attitude among leaders that “money does not smell” – or “pecunia non
olet” as the locals say – a phrase that by legend was uttered by Emperor
Vespasian while slapping a tax on public urinals.
Will all
roads lead to Rome?
While
Meloni’s approach of casting Italy as a bridge between the U.S. and Europe may
yield some short-term diplomatic gains, it’s nonetheless a delicate path
fraught with risk. Cozying up to Washington under Trump, whose policies –
especially on trade – have engendered widespread outrage in Europe, risks
ruffling feathers in Brussels. Indeed, while Trump praised Meloni’s leadership,
and both sides talked trade with no urgency on tariffs, Europe watched warily.
Trying to
navigate between Trump’s protectionist leanings and the EU’s collective trade
stance could leave Meloni unable to satisfy either side. Should Trump push for
concessions – like shrinking Italy’s trade surplus with the U.S. or increasing
defense spending – Meloni may find herself at odds with EU standards and
alienating European partners. But leaning too far into EU alignment – and the
bloc’s commitment to Ukraine – risks souring her ties with Trump’s camp,
potentially weakening her influence across the Atlantic.
In trying to
please both Washington and Brussels, Meloni could end up with enemies on both
fronts – and very few wins to show for it.
Laura Hood
Politics
Editor & Assistant Editor, The Conversation UK
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