Pool Reports of April 17, 2025

In-town pool report #1

Greetings fellow scribblers from the brisk and sunny driveway of the White House, where Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is expected soon for a scheduled noon arrival.

We have a lunch lid until 11:45 a.m.

At 10:40 a.m. the hallway outside upper press is bustling with WH staff setting the Cabinet Room for a seated lunch between the President, the Vice President, other American officials and the Italian delegation, scheduled for 12:05 a.m. (Your pooler has requested a full list of diners.) They were plating a first course that involved artichokes and what appeared to be grilled radicchio.

A 1:05 p.m. Oval Office bilat is on the schedule following the meal.

In town pool report #2

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni arrived as promised at noon, in a black SUV, flying the Italian and US flags. A military honor guard of dozens held flags along the pebble beach driveway to greet Meloni. Trump greeted her at the door, over shouted questions about whether he could make a trade deal.

Your pooler heard Trump say Meloni was a "great person." Another pool reporter heard him say he was "very confident" in response to a question about whether a trade deal was possible.

The pool was almost immediately ushered into the Cabinet Room for an unscheduled spray ahead of their lunch. Attendees included VP Vance (who had a light green soda poured before him), the president (who had a cola poured before him), Sec. Bessent, Sec. Hegseth, NSA Walz, who all had water, and one other American out of view. Still don't have names of other Italians beyond the Prime Minister.

Both leaders expressed confidence that a trade deal would happen before the end of the 90-day pause. Meloni spoke about Italy's plans to increase defense spending to 2 percent of GDP and making the West "stronger." (Asked if that was enough, Trump smiled and said it was "never enough.") "I'm sure we can make a deal, and I am here to help with that." She also said she planned to invite Trump to Italy for a meeting with other European allies. Trump expressed confidence in a deal with China as well.

Otter here: https://otter.ai/u/AU2A75-ASbMxx-Qz1zBd3arjj0s?utm_source=copy_url It appears to cut off at end, a failure by your pooler apparently.

Expecting pool to be called back after lunch to Oval for more questions.

Correcting typo in first pool report: Lunch was scheduled for 12:05 p.m., not 12:05 a.m. Apologies.

In-town Pool 2a (Additional quotes from Cabinet Room spray)

At one point PM Meloni said, "I believe in the west unity. I think simply we have to talk."

"She believes in the president," President Trump interrupted.

"Also," she agreed. "…and find ourselves in the best middle way to grow together."

Trump on Europe: "Oh, there will be a trade deal, 100 percent. Why you think there won't be? Of course there will be a trade deal, very much. They want to make one very much. And we are going to make a trade deal. I fully expect it. And it will be a fair deal."

Asked about what countries were on his priority list, Trump said, "Everybody is on my priority list."

On timing, he said a trade deal with Japan and Italy would come "at a certain point. We're in no rush."

He repeated the claim that 2020 was a "rigged election."

Asked if there is concern about Chinese efforts to build alliances given the new U.S. tariffs, he said "No. No one can compete with us. Nobody." Asked about picking up the phone to call President Xi, he said "Oh we're going to make a deal. I think we are going to make a very good deal with China."

On Meloni, Trump said, "I do like her very much. I think she is a great prime minister. I think she is doing a fantastic job in Italy. And we are very proud of her. I knew her right from the beginning. I knew her as a very early prime minister. And I knew she had great talent. She is one of the real leaders of the world, and I am very proud to be with her."

"I am sure that together we are stronger," Meloni said. "And I have to find the best way to make us both stronger on both sides of the Atlantic."

"We are going to have very little problem making a deal with Europe or anybody else, because we have something that everybody wants. You know what that means, right?" Trump concluded.

In-town pool report #3

The pool was ushered into the Oval at about 1:42 p.m., a bit later than scheduled, for questions of both leaders. We left at 2:16 p.m. The blue curtains on the historic print of the Declaration of Independence were open. Lots of pushing among the binational press corps. On the couch on American side were VP, Bessent and Hegseth.

Check the tape. Some highlights:

—The president repeatedly pressured the Fed Chair to lower interest rates, but did not directly answer whether he would fire him before his term

—The president commented on recent report that he had waved off an Israeli strike on Iran, saying it was not his first choice, but he appeared to leave open the possibility of a strike if negotiations did not go well.

—The president did not answer questions about the recent judicial rulings on his Alien Enemies Act deportations and the Maryland man deported to El Salvador, saying reporters should talk to his lawyers.

—He continued to praise Meloni.

—An Italian reporter asked, as a second question, if the president notices when he steps on ants. The president may not have heard and did not answer the question.

—He commented on being briefed on the FSU shooting.

—He commented on Ukraine saying both that he was not happy with Zelensky (or others involved) and that he did not hold Zelensky responsible for the war.

Otter here: https://otter.ai/u/AU2A75-ASbMxx-Qz1zBd3arjj0s?utm_source=copy_url

Pool expects one more chance to see him later today for an EO signing.

Intown Pool #3a (Separate Otter Link)

Apologies for last Otter link. Here is different link from Foreign Pool

https://otter.ai/u/hb7X630_wrWiw7jRYcY_9wt5qZA

In-town Pool #3b (some quotes from Oval bilat)

--On FSU shooting, Trump said: "I've been briefed on the Florida State University of Tallahassee active shooter. I guess it's an active shooter. Fully briefed as to where we are right now. It's a shame. Horrible thing. Horrible things like this take place. And we will have more to say about it later."

--Asked if he can remove Jerome Powell: "I don't think he is doing a good job…. I'm not happy with him… " Later he said of Powell, "I think he should do the rate cuts because I think if Europe has done it, it puts us at a disadvantage here…. I think at some point he will have—he's going to have a lot of political pressure."

--Do you agree with the Judge Boasberg statement that "The Constitution does not tolerated willful disobedience of judicial lawyers," he said, "Well you are going to have to talk to my lawyers. We have great lawyers. I can tell you this: We are doing a fantastic job of getting criminals out of the country."

—On reports that he waved off an Israeli plan for a military strike on Iranian nuclear facilities, "I wouldn't say waved off. I am not in a rush to do it, because I think that Iran has a chance to have a great country. … That's my first option. If there is a second option, I think it will be very bad for Iran. And I think Iran is wanting to talk. I hope they are wanting to talk. It is going to be very good for them if they do."

—When asked about Zelensky being responsible for war in Ukraine. "I don't hold Zelensky responsible but I am not exactly thrilled with the fact that that war started. That was a war that would have never started if I was president."

—Trump announced plans to sign rare earth minerals deal with Ukraine in one week on Thursday. Bessent later said the details were still being worked out and they are aiming for April 26, which is next Saturday. Bessent said that the deal is substantially the same deal was being negotiated before, when Zelensky and Trump did not sign a memorandum of understanding, and that it is 80 pages.

--The unanswered question for Trump about ants from an Italian reporter was: "Do you ever notice when you walk if you step on ants?"

In Town Pool #3c

Correction: The EO signing at 4 p.m. is closed press. So we do not expect to see him, unless something changes again.

(Previous pool report said we expected to see him.)

In town pool report #4

Your pool has been asked to gather at 4:15 pm. No word yet on why.

In town Pool report #4a

We were taken into the Oval with fishermen and women from American Samoa. Trump is signing a proclamation expanding fishing rights in the pacific islands. Trump describes the area to be three times the size of California.

Navarro and Lutnick standing behind the Resolute.

In Town Pool Report #5

The signing of executive orders turned into an impromptu press conference. The entire event that lasted a bit longer than 34 minutes, according to your pooler's recorder.

Your pooler does not have an Otter, alas, but you can find the event, thanks to the TV folks here:

https://www.c-span.org/event/white-house-event/president-trump-signs-executive-orders/432584

Some highlights:

—Trump commented on the SCOTUS decision to accept a case on birthright citizenship. "You are just telling me that for the first time. I am so happy. The case has been so misunderstood. That case, birthright citizenship, is about slavery."

—He declined to answer a question about whether he would ask the Salvadorian government to return Abrego Garcia, again saying that his lawyers are handling.

—Asked whether he wanted to change gun regulation after the FSU shooting, he said, "I'm a big advocate of the second amendment. I have been since the beginning. I have protected it. These things are terrible." He said "we will have more to say about it later."

—He confirmed that he planned to go in September to Great Britain to meet with the king.

—He said the Nippon steel day could be part of the tariff negotiations with Japan "but I doubt it."

—Asked about the discussions at the IRS punishing Harvard by removing its tax exempt status, he spoke at length about pastors he had dinner with Wednesday night who told him that they believed they had been politically targeted by the Biden administration. "We are also finding that many people just having to do with Trump support have gone through hell. They have used the IRS for purposes of something that is very illegal. It's a very illegal thing that they did." If that is wrong, why are you considering changing tax status of Harvard. "Because I think Harvard is a disgrace. They are obviously anti-semitic, and all of a sudden they are starting to behave." He also said that his understanding was no final decision had been made on the tax status of Harvard.

--When asked if there were other non-profits he was considering investigating, he mentioned CREW, a litigation group that has resisted his administration, as a possible target. "It's supposed to be a charitable organization, the only charity they have is going after Donald Trump. So we are looking at that."

—He did not disclose whether he had or had not had conversations with President Xi over tariffs. Lutnick praised Trump for forcing every country in the world into negotiations. "We are confident that we will work out something with China." Trump then said the US was talking with China. "I think we have plenty of time," Trump said. Trump said he thought there would a deal with China, "I would think over the next three to four weeks. "We have a big beautiful store and everybody wants a piece of that store."

—"We have a deal for TikTok but it is subject to China so we will delay it until this thing gets worked out," Trump said.

--After extensive discussion of fishing regulations in the South Pacific with the fishermen, he signed the order and the Samoan guests sang him a short song. "We have the greatest coast in the world. We have the greatest fishermen in the world," Lutnick said.

—Trump then signed a second order on fishing related to regulations closer to the mainland.

—Navarro promised him another document to make increase access to lobster fishing off the coast of Maine by next week. "We will have that on your desk next week, I promise," Navarro said.

—Alex Bruesewitz, a new media consultant for Trump's political operations, stood in the back of the Oval, with other White House staff.

In-town pool report #6

At 6:15 p.m., we have a travel/photo lid.

Supplemental pool report #1: worship service

The supplemental pool entered into the EEOB for a worship service at 10:18 AM. The service was on going.

Franklin Graham began his sermon at 10:21 AM. The otter to his sermon is here:
https://otter.ai/u/KWyY29UduXu6TtxKX0up10njPRw

His sermon largely touched on how Jesus suffered and died on the cross for His people. Graham spoke about how he has experienced God's mercy and love in his own life.

Following, staffers received communion and sang "Amazing Grace."

The room was packed with White House staffers and was standing room only.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was sitting in the front row.

Per the White House leading the worship service is
Faith Office Paula White, Jenny Korn, Liberty University Choir, Pastor Greg Laurie, Rev Franklin Graham and Pastor Jentenzen Franklin

The pool left at 10:47 and the service was still ongoing. This will likely be my only pool report.

Foreign Pool Report #1 / Meloni background

Buongiorno,

I am your foreign pooler for the visit of Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to the White House. Please reach out if you have any questions or comments.

Meloni is the first European leader meeting with President Donald Trump in Washington since he announced 20 percent tariffs on EU goods on April 2 which he two days later paused for 90 days until July 9.

Schedule:

PM Meloni landed at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Wednesday afternoon and spent the night at Blair House. Her arrival at the White House is scheduled for 12pm. The "official working visit" (White House) is supposed to start at 12:05pm and will include a leader-to-leader bilateral meeting, expanded bilateral meeting and lunch. The lunch in the Cabinet Room is scheduled for 12:05pm, the bilat in the Oval Office for 1:05pm.

The Italian leader will fly back to Rome tonight and will host Vice President JD Vance for a state visit on Friday.

Italian Delegation:

Ambassador: Mariangela Zappia
Diplomatic Advisor: Fabrizio Saggio
Military Counselor: Franco Federici
Head of the Private Office: Patrizia Scurti
Head of the Press Office: Fabrizio Alfano
Head of the Protocol: Francesco Piazza

Topics for the bilateral meeting:

Meloni's priority is going to be the tariffs on European industrial goods – and she is believed to have a widespread mandate from Ursula von der Leyen to negotiate on behalf of the European Union. "The EU Commission President and the Italian Prime Minister are in regular contact; Meloni's intention to explain the European position in Washington is viewed very positively and has been closely coordinated with the Commission," a spokeswoman for von der Leyen said on Monday.

Ahead of her trip, Meloni told business leaders that she supported a European Commission proposal for zero tariffs between the US and the EU, and that she would propose that in Washington. Von der Leyen has endorsed a zero-for-zero tariff agreement between the EU and the US, for example in a post on X last week. The plan calls for the reciprocal elimination of tariffs on existing industrial goods between the EU and the US.

"The challenge to explore, one that Italy supports, and President von der Leyen proposed yesterday, is the potential for removing mutual tariffs on industrial products under the 'zero for zero' formula," Meloni said then.

Other likely topics of the discission will be China, Ukraine, defense spending, energy exports, and AI.

Meetings Trump/Meloni:
The two leaders met for the first time in December, 7 last year at the Élysée Palace, where French President Emmanuel Macron hosted guests after the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral. On January 5, Meloni and Trump met at his Mar-a-Lago golf club in Florida. 15 days later, she was the only European leader to attend his inauguration in Washington, DC.
Relationship:
Trump and Meloni, who heads the right-wing party Fratelli d'Italia (Brothers of Italy), seem to get along quite well. After their first meeting in Paris, he described her as "a real live wire" and someone he could work with "to straighten out the world a little bit."

In late February, he called her "a wonderful woman" and noted that "Italy has got very strong leadership." Meloni reposted Trump's comments on X.

The Italian leader praised both Trump and Vance in her video address at the annual CPAC conference near Washington, where she has been speaking for years. She underscored their shared political agenda on topics like migration and called Trump's re-election a major development in the rise of global conservatism.

Meloni has also called the US Italy's "first ally." In an interview with the "Financial Times" on March 28, her first interview with a foreign newspaper since coming to office in 2022, she said: "Italy can have good relations with (the) United States and if there is something that Italy also can do to avoid (a US) confrontation with Europe and to build bridges, I will do that – and it is in the interest of the Europeans."

Meloni further said she hoped Trump's "confrontational" approach on European defense would be a much-needed "stimulus" for the continent to take responsibility for its own security. "I like to say that crisis always hides an opportunity," she said and added: "Our relations with US are the most important relationship that we have."

The Italian Prime Minister is also known for having a close relationship with Elon Musk whom she has met on several occasions and called "a brilliant man." Musk recently advocated for a free trade zone without any tariffs at a party congress of Matteo Salvini's far-right Lega in Florence. In a background call this morning, a senior Trump administration official did not say if Musk would attend the bilat.

Background on Trade:

Since Trump's inauguration, the PM has aimed to play the role of bridge-builder between Brussels and Washington. She criticized Trump's 10% tariffs of Italy's exports as "wrong," and said "The economies of Western nations are strongly interconnected. Such hard-hitting protectionist policies will end up hurting Europe as much as the U.S.". But she also called for negotiations and argued that retaliation may be counterproductive.

Meloni is under pressure to defend Italy's export-driven industry. Last year, Italy ran a 40-billion-euro (45.5 billion dollar) trade surplus with the United States – the third largest in the European Union after Germany and Ireland. 10% of Italy's total exports got to the US. Its top exports are machinery, pharmaceuticals, vehicles, fashion, food, and beverages.

European partners are closely watching if the PM is trying to exempt domestic specialties such as pasta, cheese, and wine from the tariffs. French industry minister, Marc Ferracci, warned last week that Meloni's solo trip threatened to undermine European unity against the US tariffs. Negotiating tariffs is the responsibility of the European Commission.

EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic also visited Washington this week. After the meeting, Sefcovic stressed that the EU was willing to work toward a "fair deal," including the offer of zero tariffs on industrial goods. He wrote on X that such an agreement would require a "significant joint effort on both sides."

Background on Defense:
Italy only spends 1.49% of its GDP, which is below Nato's 2 per cent target. In the background call this morning, a senior Trump administration official said, defense would "certainly" come up in the bilat: "There are 8 countries that aren't meeting their 2% threshold out of the 31 NATO member countries, Italy is, unfortunately, one of them".
Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti promised at a parliamentary hearing on Thursday that Italy would meet the 2% target on defense spending this year. But Trump is pushing NATO allies to lift military spending as high as 5% of GDP – which Italy's Defense Minister Guido Crosetto called "unthinkable" this week.

Since taking office, Meloni has continued Italy's support for Ukraine. She was twice at the White House during Joe Biden's presidency and according to my fellow Italian Correspondent Maria Luisa Rossi Hawkins, she still has a good relationship with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. But despite going along with allies during Biden's administration, her party abstained, for the first time, on a European parliament resolution in March reaffirming support for Kyiv against Russian aggression. She also has been skeptical over the "coalition of the willing" advocated by French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Meloni condemned the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and pledged to keep sending arms. But unlike France and Britain, Italy rejects the idea of deploying its troops. The PM also has expressed faith in Trump's efforts to come to a peace deal but emphasized the need for strong guarantees to ensure Russia does not restart the war in the future.

Background on the PM:

Meloni, 48, serves since October 2022 as Italy's first female prime minister. In 2012, she cofounded the Brothers of Italy (Fratelli d'Italia, FdI), a party with neofascist roots, which she leads since 2014. From 2020 to 2025, she was also the president of the European Conservatives and Reformists Party.

Meloni grew up in Rome. At 15, she joined the Youth Front, a wing of the Italian Social Movement, a party that was founded by supporters of former Italian dictator Benito Mussolini and which has been described as "neo-fascist." In 1996, she became the leader of the Student Action, a student movement that was part of the National Alliance, a post-fascist and national-conservative organization.

In 1998, she was elected as a councilor of the Province of Rome, holding this position until 2002. She became the national director and president of Youth Action, which was a youth chapter of the National Alliance. Following this, in the 2006 Italian General Election, she was elected to the Chamber of Deputies, where she became the vice-president. She also started to work as a journalist. In 2008, she was appointed the Minister of Youth under the Berlusconi government. She held this position until 2011, when Berlusconi was forced to resign.

Foreign Pool Report #2 / Meloni's quotes at the pool spray

PM Meloni's quotes at the pool spray before lunch in the Cabinet Room (please check against the official transcript):

Q: Prime Minister, you have said that the President's tariffs are wrong. Do you, should the European Union still believe that the United States is a reliable trade partner?

A: Well, I'm here exactly to make the West stronger. For I believe in the West unity. And I think simply, we have to talk and find ourselves in the best middle way to grow together. That's why I'm here. If I wouldn't think it's a reliable partner, I wouldn't be here,

Q: How quickly can you raise your defense, Prime Minister?

A: Well, Italy is going to the next summit of the NATO, announcing that it raised 2% as was requestes.

Q: Is 2% enough?

A: Europe as you know is committed to do more, is working on tools to allow and help the member states in increasing the defense spending. And we are convinced that everyone has to do more.

Q: Prime Minister, the retaliatory tariffs that the European Commission passed and then suspended, are they still on the table if you cannot make a deal with President Trump?

A: I'm sure we can make a deal, and I'm here to help on that. I cannot lock this deal in the name of the European Union. My goal would be to invite President Trump to pay an official visit to Italy and understand if there's a possibility when it comes to organize also such a meeting with Europe. For I think the best way is that we simply speak frankly about the needs that every one of us has, and finding ourselves a needle. That's useful for all I. Really somebody calls me such a Western nationalism. I don't know if it is the right word, but I'm sure that together, we are stronger. And I have to find a way. I'm here to find the best way to make us both stronger on the two shores of the Atlantic.

Foreign Pool Report #3 / Oval quotes of Meloni

When the pool entered at 1:42pm, Trump and Meloni were already sitting next to each other: Meloni on the left side, dressed in a white suit. She spoke almost 4 minutes in the beginning and thanked the President "for the warm welcome" and "this occasion, which is aim to strengthen our relation, our friendship".

Meloni said, the US and Italy shared the fight against "woke" ideology "that would erase our history." She also told Trump that her goal is "to make the west great again" and they both share the goal of "fighting against illegal migration, fighting against synthetic drugs."

According to Meloni, the two leaders also talked "about many bilateral topics and things that we can do together, about defense, about economic, about space, about energy."

She further said Italy would have to increase its LNG imports and in nuclear that we are trying to develop." Italian enterprises would invest, "as they've been doing for many years, as you know, in the next years, I think around 10 million. That shows how interconnected our economies are".

Meloni: "It's not only about Italy, it's about the entire Europe. The exchange between us is a very big one, investments, trade, it's a topic that we are discussing".

"When I speak about West, mainly I don't speak about geographical space. I speak about the civilization, and I want to make that civilization stronger. So, I think even if we have some problems between the two shores of the Atlantic, is is the time that we try to sit down and find solutions".

The PM said, President Trump "has accepted an invitation to pay an official visit to Rome in the near future and conceive the possibility in that location to meet also with Europe. The goal for me is to make the West great again, and I think we can do it together."

Italy according to the PM is "in a very good situation, despite the difficulties, a stable country, really reliable country. 1 million more jobs in the last two years. Now, inflation is going down. So, you forgive me if I promote a bit my country, but you're a businessman and you understand me. So, migration flows going down 60%, so we are trying to do our best, but I think we can do it even better together (…).

On a question of an Italian colleague in Italian if Ukrainian President Zelenskyy is responsible for the war, Meloni interrupted the interpreter and answered herself. Your pooler could not understand what exactly.

On migration, Trump said, Europe would have "to get a lot smarter", and Meloni answered: "We are beginning to do it". Meloni: "In the beginning, we were only talking about how we were distributing illegal migrants coming to Italy. Now we are talking mainly about how to stop illegal migration". So, "things are changing".

Please as always check against transcript.

Meanwhile, Meloni has left the White House grounds.

PS: In the previous Foreign Pool Report, Meloni apparently does not say "needle" but "middle" in an Italian accent (thanks to my British colleague David Charter).