Duties, Meloni today at Trump's: PM must avert risk of returning to Italy empty-handed

Giorgia Meloni is preparing to cross the threshold of the White House with the air of someone who knows that every word will be weighed, every gesture scrutinised, every pause interpreted. It is not just a bilateral with Donald Trump: it is a test of political survival, a balancing act between the need to remain anchored to Europe without weakening the alliance with the United States. In recent weeks she has been in touch practically every day with Ursula von der leyen and from Brussels they have confirmed the Commission president's full support for the Italian leader's trip to Washington. The goal is to find an agreement with Trump and for this Meloni is working on direct contact between the US president and von der Leyen.

'Concreteness, pragmatism, lucidity,' repeats Meloni, as if to exorcise the uncertainty of these hours. The unpredictability of the American president does not allow for predictions nor does it offer certainties. Meloni is the first European leader to be received after the 'Liberation Day' of 2 April, when Trump announced the duties then suspended for three months. A fragile armistice, rather than a truce. The PM arrives with the ambition to act as a bridge between Brussels and Washington, but she also knows that she risks being crushed between the two shores.

The American press calls her the 'Trump whisperer', the one who whispers to the president, but Europe fears that those whispers will not translate into a readiness for confrontation with Brussels. There is no shortage of indications that Trump has not so far opened up, quite the contrary. In Blair House, the residence reserved for the most important guests, Meloni finds a warm welcome, but the issues on the table are boulders that are difficult to move. See the Ukraine dossier that even in the last few days, at the G7 summit, has seen the United States and the other six major countries on opposing sides, who would have liked to sign a declaration condemning Russia for the Sumy massacre, but the Americans have withdrawn.

And then there is China, the stony. Trump threatens heavy duties for those who maintain relations with Beijing, while Meloni tries to keep a cautious stance. Juggling for the premier, who signed an enhanced partnership with the dragon country last July, will be complicated. The risk for the Prime Minister is that attempts at mediation will turn into boomerangs. Today will show whether the strategy adopted is working. What is at stake is the international credibility of Italy and its leader.