It was mission accomplished on Thursday night for Giorgia Meloni, Italy’s prime minister, who navigated her White House meeting with Donald Trump with poise, earning her lavish praise and a “100 per cent” promise of a trade deal from the US President.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is set to meet U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday amid a tense trade standoff with the European Union over tariffs. Meloni’s visit to Washington makes her the first European leader to meet the president since he announced tariffs on European imports earlier this month.

President Donald Trump welcomed Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni to the White House Thursday, as she became the first European leader to have face-to-face talks with him since he announced and then partially suspended 20% tariffs on European exports.