In Europe, Italy's right-wing leader Meloni aligns herself with Trump.

• Giorgia Meloni, the Italian Prime Minister, was praised by Trump as a "fantastic woman" who has "really taken Europe by storm" during a meeting at Mar-a-Lago.
• Meloni's mutual admiration with Trump positions her as his key ally in Europe, as Germany and France grapple with domestic political challenges.
• Trump threatened to impose a 10% tariff on all goods imported to the U.S. during his reelection campaign, targeting the European Union's largest trading partner in terms of exports.

On Sunday, Giorgia Meloni, the Italian Prime Minister, made a surprise visit to Mar-a-Lago and met with incoming President Donald Trump for the second time since his election in November.

In a briefing with reporters, Trump praised Meloni as a "fantastic woman" who has "really taken Europe by storm" during a meeting in Florida.

Meloni posted on X that she had a "pleasant evening" with Trump and was "prepared to collaborate," according to a Google translation of her post.

She spoke with the president-elect on the sidelines of the Notre Dame cathedral reopening in Paris in early December.

Meloni's mutual admiration with Trump positions her as his key ally in Europe, despite the complicated trans-Atlantic efforts at a time when other European heavyweights Germany and France are facing domestic political challenges and criticism from Trump.

Trump's tariff threat to Europe is one of the reasons why Meloni wants to court the incoming administration. During his reelection campaign, the former president threatened to impose a 10% tariff on all goods imported to the U.S., which would have a significant impact on the European Union's largest trading partner in terms of exports.

For Italy, the cost could be significant.

The European risk analysis firm Prometeia found that 10% duties on imports could cost the Italian economy up to $7 billion, as the U.S. is the country's second-largest export market after Germany. Caixabank analysts put Italy's exposure to the U.S. at around 4% of GDP, just behind Germany at 5%.

Meloni has been developing relationships with both Trump and Musk, who is predicted to have a significant impact on Trump's new administration. In an interview with Corriere della Sera, she characterized Musk as a "great figure of our times" and a "genius," stating that he has been unfairly depicted as a "monster."