(Rome) Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni paid a surprise and unofficial visit to US President-elect Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, according to the Prime Minister’s Office on Sunday.
Photographs published on Sunday by the services of the far-right Prime Minister show Mme Meloni and Donald Trump posing in front of the entrance to the Mar-a-Lago residence and chatting in the reception hall, a Christmas tree visible in the background.
These photos of the two leaders side by side were on the front pages of all Italian media on Sunday.
They also show Mme Meloni shaking hands with Florida Senator Marco Rubio.
No press release on this visit was published by the services of the head of the Italian government, who also did not respond to repeated requests for confirmation of this visit on Saturday, which the American press echoed, reporting that a film screening and a dinner marked this visit.
Several other foreign leaders – including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban – have visited the US president-elect in recent months, whose inauguration ceremony is scheduled for January 20.
This visit by Giorgia Meloni, who heads the Fratelli d’Italia (FdI) party, comes four days before a visit to Rome by American President Joe Biden, who is due to meet Mme Meloni and, in a separate interview, Pope Francis.
