The news last week that the Trump administration sounded out Fifa, world football’s governing body, about replacing Iran with Italy at this year’s World Cup jolted insiders and pundits on the beautiful game. It has also cast fresh light on the unusual and evolving relationship between Donald Trump and Giorgia Meloni.

In recent weeks, the Italian prime minister’s standing as the darling of the US right has been imperilled by an unexpected rift with the Oval Office. Trump dramatically distanced himself from his Italian ally over her refusal to join US attacks on Iran in an interview. “I’m shocked at her. I thought she had courage, but I was wrong,” the US president told the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.

The reported US approach to Fifa – since ruled out by Italian ministers – may have signalled a wish by Trump to mend fences with the Italian leader.

Meloni’s relationship with Trump has never been primarily about policy. It has been grounded instead in politics, ideology and geopolitics – a triad that has defined both its strengths and its limits.

Politically, Meloni has leveraged her proximity to Trump while maintaining pragmatic ties with EU leaders. This dual track has enhanced her international reputation as a responsible rightwing leader and a go-to figure in Europe. She has sought to present herself as someone capable of bridging worlds – aligned with the nationalist conservative wave emanating from Washington yet credible and constructive in the European mainstream.

Ideologically, Meloni and Trump both subscribe to a civilisational........

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