Biden to visit Italian PM Giorgia Meloni in final days of his presidency [View all]

The choice to travel to Rome for what’s likely to be his last big trip underscores the Italian prime minister’s status as an EU power player.

https://www.politico.eu/article/joe-biden-giorgia-meloni-last-visit-presidency/



U.S. President Joe Biden will travel to Rome next month to meet with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, President Sergio Mattarella and Pope Francis.

Biden will “meet with Italy’s leaders to highlight the strength of the U.S.-Italy relationship, thank Prime Minister Meloni for her strong leadership of the G7 over the past year, and discuss important challenges facing the world,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Thursday evening in Washington.

The Jan. 9-12 trip to Rome is likely to be the last foreign visit of Biden’s presidency, underscoring the Italian prime minister’s growing status as a major EU power player. (POLITICO named Meloni the most powerful person in Europe last week.)

Meloni’s ties with the White House are set to grow even stronger when U.S. President-elect Donald Trump takes office on Jan. 20. Trump has called Meloni a “fantastic leader and person,” while Meloni told her EU peers to adopt an “open approach with the new Trump administration.” Meloni is also chummy with Trump adviser and billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk.

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