WEST PALM BEACH, Florida (Reuters) -Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni made a surprise trip to Florida to meet with Donald Trump late on Saturday, as the key European leader sought to buttress ties with the president-elect before his inauguration on Jan.

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.

Meloni follows Argentina President Javier Milei, who became the first world leader to meet with Trump at Mar-a-Lago after his Election Day victory in November.