The agenda of the meeting was unclear on Saturday night, but observers expected the two leaders would discuss those issues.
Another possible topic, according to observers, is the detention in Iran of a prominent Italian reporter, Cecilia Sala. It happened a few days after Italy arrested, at the request of the United States, an Iranian suspected of providing drone components to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. Iran has routinely detained foreigners and dual citizens to trade them for money and people.
One person briefed on the meeting said Ms. Meloni had pressed aggressively for it.
She also has a good relationship with Elon Musk, which her supporters hope will bolster her international standing once Mr. Trump becomes president.
Since being elected, Mr. Trump has welcomed to Mar-a-Lago Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary, a champion of “illiberal democracy,” as well as Argentina’s firebrand right-wing president, Javier Milei. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada became the first Group of Seven leader to visit Mr. Trump in Florida since the election, after a threat to impose tariffs on Canada.
Maggie Haberman contributed reporting.
