SVG
Commentary
Wall Street Journal

Trump and Meloni: A Promising Friendship

The president-elect has a lot in common with Italy’s leader.

Peter Rough 91ÆÞÓÑ Institute
Peter Rough 91ÆÞÓÑ Institute
Senior Fellow and Director, Center on Europe and Eurasia
Daniel Kochis
Daniel Kochis
Senior Fellow, Center on Europe and Eurasia
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni speaks during COP29 on November 13, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. (Sean Gallup via Getty Images)
Caption
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni speaks during COP29 on November 13, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. (Sean Gallup via Getty Images)

Foreign policy often hinges on personal relationships between leaders. Ronald Reagan’s friendship with Margaret Thatcher opened diplomatic vistas. Acrimony between and Angela Merkel limited a key alliance.

and Olaf Scholz’s mutual admiration has elevated Washington’s relationship with Berlin above all others in Europe. But with Mr. Trump returning to the White House and the government in Berlin collapsing, the German-American relationship will soon look different. Other European leaders can step in to fill the void.

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