Giorgia Meloni was in Mar-a-Lago for barely five hours and every moment had to count. With so many leaders vying for Donald Trump’s attention, hers was a win. But after dinner with the president elect,

US President-elect Donald Trump hosted Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni for talks at his Florida base, the latest sign of the two leaders’ deepening bond and the Italian’s leveraging of her hard-right credentials to position Rome for the incoming administration.

Members of Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort welcomed Meloni with applause after an introduction by the president-elect, according to videos shared on social media by reporters and others. "This is very exciting.