Commentary
Meloni in Washington: Ideology and extortion
The friendly presence by Trump’s side of a European leader served him to emphasize that he is not against Europe as such, but only against that Europe that is allied with democratic America.
There were allusions to an upcoming visit by Trump to Italy. One possible “window” that has been mentioned is the Bezos couple's wedding in Venice in late June, which will see the heavy hitters of the new power structure in the U.S. come to the city of the Doges. Strictly speaking, Meloni didn’t get anything more than that from her meeting with Trump. But that’s enough to fuel the narrative of her as the underdog entering the inner circle of the most powerful man in the world, to play the part of the “whisperer,” as The Guardian writes.
According to American analysts, the meeting with Trump in Washington has been seen more in the context of a personal/political relationship than a diplomatic relationship between the states.
Seen from the other side of the Atlantic, the “special relationship” with Rome has one feature in common with Washington's historic special relationship with London: the underlying and permanent policy by the U.S. aimed at constantly fueling the ever-present but gradually latent conflict between different parts of Europe, which, under Boris Johnson, regained vigor and reached its peak with the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union.
Since then, the Anglosphere's project has not fared all that well. Now, the “exit,” one meant to go down in history (if it ever succeeds), is being implemented by Trump: the exit from international organizations, even NATO, and in the end from the international community itself, as we have understood it since the postwar period, in order to build a new one, his own, based on the ideological foundations that have marked his political trajectory for more than a decade now, in which they have also found adepts in the West and beyond.
It is a design whose outlines are still blurred and unsettled – but the goal of dismantling the European edifice and creating a network of two-way relations with the command center in the Oval Office is clear.
Meloni was brought up in the political “school” of Silvio Berlusconi, who already wanted her in his government in her 30s: she knows how to be pleasing and tune in to the personality, whims, and tics of the powerful billionaire in charge. And she has inserted herself straight into the issue that is at the heart of the Trumpist insurgency.
After effusive praise for her perfect English, however, came the big slip on the acronym that has fueled right-wing hate rhetoric for years, namely DEI, which she called “ADI”: “The fight against the woke and the ADI (sic) ideology that would like to erase our history.” The issue was Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, which Trump is intent on fighting in universities, in the public administration and everywhere else. Meloni did her very best to lend him support, including by inventing oddball slogans that no one, least of all Trump, understands, such as “Make the West Great Again,” within a framework of something called “Western nationalism” – whatever that is, if not merely the latest version of Italy’s homegrown supremacism.
Searching the front pages of the major American newspapers for any mention of the meeting yields few results: a photo in the Wall Street Journal, brief mentions elsewhere. On the other hand, while Meloni played the American game with an eye to the domestic audience in Italy, Trump – as is customary for all American presidents – also used this meeting to address his domestic audience and targets, obviously with a massive dose of ego. The friendly presence by his side of a European leader served him to emphasize that he is not against Europe as such, but only against that Europe that is allied with democratic America, essentially sharing its values and aspirations. Further developments in the special relationship will take place along this ideological line, which is on an inexorable collision course with democratic Europe.
Trump tested the true readiness of his Italian friend to show herself as his ally. She passed that test with flying colors, as suggested by Trump’s effusive comment on his own Truth Social network after the meeting: “the impression she left on everyone was FANTASTIC!!!!!!”
A respected Japanese politician, Shinji Oguma, speaking about Economic Minister Akazawa Ryoseisel's recent meeting with Trump and his U.S. counterparts on the tariff issue, said that “When Japan negotiates with what [Trump] is saying it's akin to being extorted by a delinquent … If you give money to someone extorting you, they'll just come back to extort you again.” With Meloni, it’s not about money – i.e. the tariffs – but about ideological and moral support. Donald Trump will only demand more of it from his friends and supporters when the going gets tougher, in the United States and around the world – most likely soon.
Originally published at https://ilmanifesto.it/trump-e-meloni-lideologia-e-lestorsione on 2025-04-19