WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on President Donald Trump’s meeting with Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte (all times local):
2:20 p.m.
President Donald Trump and Italy’s new premier are stressing what they have in common as they stand side-by-side at the White House at a joint press conference.
Trump noted Monday that he and Italy’s Giuseppe Conte were “both outsiders to politics” when they began their campaigns.
And Conte is describing the U.S. and Italy as “almost twin countries,” adding: “There are so many things that bring us together.”
The two leaders in particular share similar views on immigration.
Trump has tried to crack down on illegal immigration and pushed Congress to overhaul the legal immigration system.
And under Conte’s new government, Italy has pushed for the European Union to accept tens of thousands of migrants coming across the Mediterranean Sea every year.
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11:55 a.m.
President Donald Trump is meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte at the White House as the U.S. is kicking off new trade talks with the European Union.
Trump will welcome Conte to the Oval Office for the Italian prime minister’s first trip to Washington since he took over the country’s new populist government.
Trump and EU officials averted escalating a trade dispute last week and are expected to start negotiations aimed at avoiding tariffs on automobiles and removing trade barriers.
Conte leads the euroskeptic coalition of the 5-Star Movement, which considers itself anti-establishment, and the right-wing, north-based League party.
The White House has noted that Italy is an important NATO ally and a key partner to U.S. forces in Afghanistan and Iraq.
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