You can tell why they’re so angry. Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni has flown to Washington to negotiate a tariff deal with the United States on Italy’s terms. Her April 17th meeting with President Donald Trump, the first by a European leader since his administration’s sweeping tariff announcements, marks a pivotal moment not just for Italy but for a continent shackled and immobilised by Brussels’ bureaucratic yoke. Meloni’s audacious move—officially ‘coordinated’ with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen but unmistakably her own—signals a path forward for Italy and Europe: one of national sovereignty, pragmatic diplomacy, and liberation from the suffocating tutelage of the European Union’s unelected elites.

Meloni’s decision to engage Trump directly is a masterstroke for Italy. Facing a 20% U.S. tariff on European exports, Italy’s economy—heavily reliant on luxury goods, wine, and machinery—stands to lose billions. By securing a foothold in negotiations, Meloni aims to shield key actors while multiplying her international influence. Her rapport with Trump, who lauded her as a “fantastic leader,” gives Italy a diplomatic edge. Unlike von der Leyen’s abstract calls for a “zero-for-zero” deal, Meloni’s approach is grounded in realpolitik and the conditions of the new geopolitical cycle: she seeks concrete exemptions, perhaps trading increased defence spending or tougher EU stances on China for tariff relief. This not only bolsters Italy’s economic resilience but also elevates its stature within Europe, proving that a nation can act decisively without asking Brussels for permission.

For other European nations, Meloni’s gambit is the way forward. The EU, under von der Leyen’s faltering leadership, has floundered in its response to Trump’s tariffs. Its retaliatory 25% tariffs on $23.8 billion of U.S. exports, paused for 90 days, reveal a bloc more reactive than proactive. Von der Leyen’s strategy—phone calls with Norway, China, and the UAE—smacks of desperation, not strength. Her gibberish about a “peace project” Europe, divorced from the gritty realities of trade wars and geopolitical pulverisation, ignores how the era of free trade is now well and truly over. Meloni, by contrast, recognizes that nations, not supranational bureaucracies, are best equipped to navigate such storms. Her success could inspire others to follow, fracturing the EU’s monolithic facade and forcing it to reckon with its diminishing relevance.