Italy's Giorgia Meloni to meet Trump at the White House with the weight of EU anxiety on her shoulders

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was to meet at the White House on Thursday with President Trump, in what her aides have called a high-stakes "commercial peace mission."

European leaders are hoping Italy's right-wing premier can position herself as a bridge between the Trump administration and the European Union, which Mr. Trump and his top aides have bashed as a deadbeat, if not abusive partner on defense and trade.

The hope not only in Rome, but in EU capitals across the 27-nation bloc is likely that Meloni can persuade Mr. Trump not to impose the steep tariff hikes he's threatened, which could devastate European economies.