During a joint press conference at the White House between Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni and US president Donald Trump, an Italian journalist asked Trump if he had ever called Europeans “parasites.”
The question was asked in Italian, after the journalist requested to switch languages. Meloni quickly stepped in and responded, “No, he never said that.”
She then turned to Trump and asked him, “Have you ever said Europeans are parasites? Have you said that?” Trump denied the claim, saying, “I have never said that. I don’t even know what you’re talking about.”
A March 2025 article in The Atlantic cited leaked Signal messages from Trump administration officials that described Europeans as parasites in the context of discussions around airstrikes in Yemen.
The awkward exchange at the press meet did not derail the leaders’ meeting, focused on trade and diplomacy. Trump, who recently imposed 20 percent tariffs on EU exports, said a deal with the European Union was “100 percent” possible. Meloni echoed that confidence and said she was sure they could find common ground. She invited Trump to visit Rome and possibly meet other EU leaders.
Meloni’s visit marked her as the first European leader to meet Trump since his tariff announcement. She used the opportunity to underline their shared stances on immigration, defence spending, and cultural issues. “The goal for me is to make the West great again,” she said, mirroring Trump’s MAGA slogan.
“Even if we have some problems between the two shores of the Atlantic, it is time that we try to sit down and find solutions,” she said.
But even as Trump sounded confident about reaching a deal with the 27-nation European Union, which he has accused of trying to “take advantage” of the United States, he said he was in “no rush.” “Everybody wants to make a deal — and if they don’t, we’ll go ahead and make the deal for them,” he added.
Some EU members expressed concern about Meloni’s direct engagement with Trump, fearing it could undermine EU unity. France’s industry minister warned that individual deals might “break the current dynamic,” reported Associated Press.
Meloni returns to Rome on Friday and is set to host US vice president JD Vance. Trump’s tariff threats remain a key issue, especially for Italy, which sends around 10 percent of its exports to the US.
