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Trump Participates in a Bilateral Meeting with the Prime Minister of Italy, Apr. 17, 2025

April 17, 2025 · The White House · 0:32:59

Embedded from the source channel — never re-uploaded. Watch on YouTube

What happened

President Donald Trump hosted Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at the White House on Apr. 17, 2025, carried on the White House channel. The President opened by noting he had been briefed on the Florida State University active-shooter situation in Tallahassee - “It’s a shame. It’s a horrible thing” - before turning to his guest, who he said had taken Europe by storm and become a friend.

Meloni marked the date - April 17, the anniversary of the agreement that allowed Christopher Columbus to make his trip, as she noted - and set out the shared agenda as she described it: fighting illegal migration and synthetic drugs, where she cited Italy’s plan against fentanyl, plus defense, economy, space and energy, including increased Italian LNG imports. “The Italian enterprises will invest, as they’ve been doing for many years, in the next years I think around 10 billions,” she said, as she stated the figure, adding that it showed how interconnected the two economies are. The two leaders also took questions, including on Iran, where the President said he would like to see Iran thrive but that the other way would not be good for them.

Why it matters

Meloni’s visit is the European test case for the tariff-era relationship: the EU’s most Trump-aligned leader putting a stated $10 billion investment figure and an LNG commitment on the White House record while both governments align on migration and fentanyl.

Scoreboard watch

Scoreboard watch: Prime Minister Meloni’s Apr. 17, 2025 statement that Italian enterprises would invest around $10 billion in the United States in the coming years, and Italy’s increased LNG imports, as stated at this meeting - flagged for the scoreboard editors; the entry itself remains review-gated.

Sources: The White House, “President Trump Participates in a Bilateral Meeting with the Prime Minister of Italy, Apr. 17, 2025” (YouTube, Apr. 17, 2025) - official description and broadcast transcript as aired.