• During the meeting at Mar-a-Lago, Trump described Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni as a "fantastic woman… she's really taken Europe by storm."
• The mutual admiration means Meloni is well-placed to position herself as Trump's key ally in Europe, as heavyweights Germany and France struggle with domestic political challenges.
• During his reelection campaign, Trump threatened to impose a 10% tariff on all goods imported to the U.S. — the European Union's largest trading partner in terms of exports.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni made a surprise visit to Mar-a-Lago on Sunday, meeting incoming President Donald Trump for the second time since he won the U.S. election in November.

During the meeting in Florida, Trump described Meloni as a "fantastic woman… she's really taken Europe by storm" in a briefing with reporters.

Meloni, meanwhile, posted on X that she'd had a "nice evening" with Trump, adding that she was "ready to work together," according to a Google translation of her post.

She had previously spoken with the president-elect on the sidelines of the reopening of Notre Dame cathedral in Paris in early December.

The mutual admiration means Meloni is well-placed to position herself as Trump's key ally in Europe. Her trans-Atlanic efforts come at a complicated time for other European heavyweights Germany and France, whose leaders are struggling with domestic political challenges and have both faced criticism from Trump.

Meloni has a number of reasons to court the incoming administration, not least Trump's tariff threat to Europe. During his reelection campaign, the former president threatened to impose a 10% tariff on all goods imported to the U.S. — the European Union's largest trading partner in terms of exports.

For Italy, the cost could be significant.  

A study by European risk analysis firm Prometeia calculated that 10% duties on imports could cost the Italian economy up to $7 billion, as the U.S. is the country's second-largest export market after Germany. Caixabank analysts put Italy's exposure to the U.S. at around 4% of GDP, just behind Germany at 5%.

Musk ties

Alongside her meetings with Trump, Meloni has also been cultivating ties with Elon Musk, the Tesla boss who is expected to play a key role in Trump's new administration. In an interview with Italian news outlet Corriere della Sera, she described him as a "great figure of our times," adding he is a "genius" and wrongly portrayed as a "monster."

Bloomberg News reported late Sunday that the Italian government was in advanced talks with Musk's SpaceX about a $1.5 billion deal to provide Rome with secure internet service via the company's Starlink satellite constellation, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter.

On Monday, the prime minister's office said Meloni did not discuss plans for SpaceX to supply Italy with Starlink services during her meeting with Trump and denied that any new agreement had been reached.

"The prime minister's office categorically denies, considering it ridiculous, that SpaceX was a topic during the meeting with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump," Meloni's office said in a note, according to Reuters. Any contacts with SpaceX are part of "regular discussions" that state departments have with businesses, the note added.

— CNBC's Ryan Browne contributed to this report.