Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni made a surprise visit to Mar-a-Lago to meet with President-elect Trump on Saturday.
They were joined by a number of Trump’s expected nominees for his forthcoming administration, according to a pool report, including Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), tapped for secretary of State; Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.), picked for national security adviser; and Scott Bessent, selected for Treasury secretary.
CBS News reported that Tilman Fertitta, Trump’s pick for ambassador to Italy, was at the meeting as well.
Trump greeted a crowd at Mar-a-Lago before a movie showing of a documentary about his close ally, John Eastman, and he praised the Italian prime minister.
“This is very exciting I’m here with a fantastic woman, the prime minister of Italy,” Trump told the crowd on Saturday evening.
“She’s really taken Europe by storm, and everyone else, and we’re just having dinner tonight,” he added.
Rubio called Meloni a “great ally, strong leader,” according to a pool report of the event.
Meloni, who leads a right-wing government in Italy, did not announce the visit ahead of time but posted a photo with Trump on social media on Sunday.
“Nice evening with @realDonaldTrump whom I thank for the welcome. Ready to work together,” Meloni wrote on X, including images of both countries’ flags.
The event comes ahead of President Biden’s official visit to Italy later this week, when he is slated to meet with Meloni and others.
