If it is true that the exact choice of timing is one of the fundamental qualities attributed to those who choose to engage in politics, Giorgia Meloni's lightning trip at Mar-a-Lago from Donald Trump it could pass for a small "masterpiece". But it is better not to be misled by smiles and hugs and not to underestimate all the collateral effects of the gesture that at the moment are difficult to calculate.
Read EVEN Meloni meets Trump by surprise in the US
The Sala Case: Meloni's Coronation as Trump's European Pillar
The search for one solution for the Sala case It was immediately waved as a more than plausible justification for the secret mission which however had the effect of "crowning" Meloni as a solid point of reference for the near future Trump in Europe. It is also true that even before Meloni, the Hungarian leader Orban had rushed to Mar-a-Lago to the court of the president-elect to gain credibility as privileged European partner but it is on Meloni that the new administration (and above all the “king maker” Elon Musk) is counting to build a new “narrative” of the transatlantic relationship compared to the past.
Timing is also crucial here. Giorgia Meloni, Trump said, “is a fantastic woman and has really taken Europe by storm.” She is the strong leader that Washington supports for an EU where the president of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen is currently struggling with a bad pneumonia that will keep her away from Brussels. Not to mention the crumbling of the Franco-German axis with Macron focused on internal issues and the Germany on the eve of a difficult election.
Meloni displaces Europe: the axis with Trump and Musk redraws the balance
In short, a Europe that is very different from the current one they dream of. Trump e Musk. A Europe that takes full responsibility for trade and defense costs without relying on U.S. aid and playing a more active role in crisis resolution, from Ukraine to the Middle East.
In other words, Meloni has beaten everyone to the punch and perhaps, at this point, she will even be able to do without attending Trump's inauguration in Washington on January 20th together with the heads of state and government from all over the world. The decision to travel has had the effect of displace the European chancelleries , same Farnesina where the minister Tajani he can barely keep his temper under control irritation for not having been informed (not so the Italian ambassador to Washington under the prorogatio regime Mariangela Zappia who had however been bound to silence).
Meloni meets Trump: between Sala case and US-Iran “shadow war”
“A lovely evening with Donald Trump, whom I thank for the welcome. Ready to work together,” wrote Meloni immediately after the visit to the president-elect. At the tycoon's headquarters, the tenant of Palazzo Chigi was also welcomed Marco Rubio, next US Secretary of State, and Tilman Fertitta, the next ambassador to Italy. Meloni is “a great ally” and “a strong leader,” Rubio said.
To make the meeting acceptable, the news quickly spread that the real "engine" of the visit was the Sala case and relations between Iran and the United States in the connection between the detention of the journalist in Tehran and the arrest in Malpensa of the drone expert Mohammed Abedini at the request of the United States. The same Wall Street Journal he spoke of a "shadow war between the United States and Iran in which Italy was involved". And the New York Times had quoted a source familiar with the meeting as saying the prime minister had “aggressively pushed” to talk about the Sala issue.
Meloni-Trump: The Axis Overshadowing Biden's Visit to Rome
Meloni's trip will inevitably overshadow the outgoing president's presence Joe Biden in Rome from next Thursday to meet in addition to the Meloni, Pope Francesco and the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella. Circumstantial words used by the White House according to which the meeting with Meloni "will highlight the strength of the relationship between the United States and Italy" and will see Biden thank the tenant of Palazzo Chigi "for her strong leadership of the G7 in the last year.
Yes, that's fine, but what can we expect now? Will the Sala case be resolved as hoped or not? And will Trump's first moves on defense and trade help our country or not? There is someone who has had the opportunity to directly confront the "Trump method" and that is the ambassador Piero Benassi who was diplomatic advisor to former Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte. Benassi has reconstructed for Limes those months at Palazzo Chigi without venturing into predictions in the relations with Meloni. But on some figures close to Trump, according to Benassi "it would be good to concentrate a certain attention from now on: I'm thinking of the next Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Mike Waltz as National Security Advisor and Brian Hook who leads the transition team. The latter, already a "hawk" in the first Trump administration, has a long experience as special representative for Iran, having worked first with Rex Tillerson and then with Mike Pompeo". And on the relationship between Meloni and Musk? Benassi warns: "The harmony with Giorgia Meloni could have a positive impact, but the concern is that interests that are not necessarily attractive are being favored, even in a surreptitious way. Even less so in a European key. A scenario that would go against the urgent need for the European Union to be united and cohesive. I would metaphorically venture that the affair of Musk it could represent an "American version" of the Silk Roads, especially since it is carried out by a private individual, albeit a star-spangled one".