Meloni’s Crossroads: U.S. Ties and Domestic Tensions

Is Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, really happy for Trump’s victory, or for her government’s policies Kamala Harris could have been better? Mrs Meloni is undoubtely fascinated by the american Tycoon; neverthless she’s had a very good relationship with Joe Biden. A picture in the Oval Room, Biden kissing her on her forehead, as she was unreluctantly smiling, can well represent their mutual attitudes. How things are to change?

The relationship between the two countries is excellent and will continue to be excellent. Neverthless what Trump is going to do will impact on the italian politics. A good part of Italy’s GDP is represented by the export. Many medium and small companies, especially in the north area, produce goods for exportation, and a remarkable part of these products – especially in the agricultural and food sector – are sold and sent in the USA. The duties Trump announced can hardly interfere with the work of these companies.

Trump is also asking the various NATO members to match the 2% of the GDP outpour; Italy is currently far from that threshold. Would it mean a further rise of the taxes ?

The new American President has no regard of the European Union as a political subject. Thus, the sovereignist movements in the Ue countries will probably have a rise. In Italy, Meloni acts like a sovereignist, and in Europe like a europeist. She was pretty cunning, for example, in not voting Ursula Von der Leyen as president of the european commission and, at the same time, remaining in very good political and personal relationships with her. But now, Meloni has a problem within the majority backing her cabinet. The Lega party, led by Matteo Salvini, has been Trump’s strongest supporter in Italy (curiously, for who is not very familiar with him, Salvini succeeds in backing both Trump and Putyin). Salvini is a staunch sovereignist: the threat for Meloni is that a remarkable number of her supporters could flee to Salvini.