WASHINGTON DC, JAN 24 - United States President Donald Trump said "I like (Italian Premier Giorgia) Meloni a lot" on Friday when asked by a Mediaset reporter about whether his administration might go easy on Italy when it comes to imposing tariffs on EU goods.

He hails a fantastic woman sweeping all before her in Europe. She praises a strong and shrewd defender of the West. Donald Trump and Giorgia Meloni are fast forging a new transatlantic "special relationship".

After forging unexpectedly fond ties with President Biden, Italy’s right-wing Premier Giorgia Meloni is poised to leverage a more natural alliance with incoming President Trump that positions her as a key interlocutor between the U.

ROME (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will attend U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration on Monday, officials from her office said on Friday, in a trip that should further strengthen her ties with the U.S. leader.

Giorgia Meloni’s presence at Donald Trump’s inauguration aimed to reinforce her status as a privileged interlocutor with the new US administration. But this position carries risks for Italy and the EU.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is one of just a handful of world leaders to have been invited to Mar-a-Lago since his election victory last November — but whether she can be Europe's "Trump whisperer" is more complicated.