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.

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.

US President-elect Donald Trump hailed Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni as a “fantastic woman” as she became the latest world leader to visit his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida.