The stakes are high as Giorgia Meloni, a conservative who shares some of Mr. Trump’s nationalist ideology, meets with him on Thursday as his trade war has frayed nerves worldwide.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will become the latest in a line of European leaders to flock to Washington with the goal of currying favor and improving relations with President Trump.
But Ms. Meloni’s trip this week has stirred more hopes — and fears — than the visits of some earlier European leaders to the White House because of the unique position she holds on the continent.
Her right-wing background has long positioned her as a potential ally of Mr. Trump’s, and she was invited to attend Mr. Trump’s inauguration, unlike other European leaders. Those credentials have helped stoke speculation that Ms. Meloni could visit the White House with an Italy-first approach, looking to strike deals for her country and threatening to undermine European unity.
But many diplomats and officials push back on such concerns, in part because Ms. Meloni has made a name for herself in recent months as a collaborative player on the European stage.
To Ms. Meloni’s fans, this is a moment ripe with opportunity. To others, it is an important test of whether she can use her affinity with Mr. Trump to help Italy, and Europe.
“Italy will find out how much it can claim a special relationship with the United States,” said Giovanni Orsina, the head of the political science department at Luiss Guido Carli University in Rome.
