President, Donald J. Trump, chats with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte at the G7 Leaders Summit. (Photo: FILIPPO ATTILI / CHIGI PALACE PRESS OFFICE HANDOUT, EPA-EFE)

President Donald Trump is hosting Italy's new prime minister Giuseppe Conte at the White House.

The two met for the first time at the Group of Seven summit in Quebec, Canada back in June. President Trump raised eyebrows when he told reporters that Russia should be a part of the group. While many leaders voiced their concerns with the idea, Conte backed Trump's call to readmit Russia to the G-7.

Conte, a political outsider, was chosen as prime minister by his peers in parliament and appointed by the Italian president, rather than being elected. No party won a majority of the vote in the election, forcing parties to form a coalition government.

USA TODAY NETWORK will provide live coverage of the joint presser in the player above.

Read or Share this story: https://usat.ly/2v0Isds</s>WASHINGTON (AP) — 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.</s>President Donald Trump waits for the arrival of Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte to the West Wing of the White House in Washington, Monday, July 30, 2018.

President Donald Trump meets with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, July 30, 2018, in Washington.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump's meeting with Italy's Giuseppe Conte (all times local):

President Donald Trump is praising Italy's new premier for his handling of immigration issues and says the two leaders will discuss trade and the military.

Trump says at the start of his meeting with Italy's Giuseppe Conte at the White House that Italy "has taken a very firm stance on the border." Trump says other European countries should follow Italy's lead on migration issues.

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.

Trump is noting the U.S. trade deficit with Italy and says he's sure "we'll straighten that out pretty quickly."

Conte thanked Trump for his "warm hospitality." In response, Trump told him "you'll always be treated warmly."

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.</s>President Donald Trump is hosting Italy's new prime minister Giuseppe Conte at the White House.

The two met for the first time at the Group of Seven summit in Quebec, Canada back in June. President Trump raised eyebrows when he told reporters that Russia should be a part of the group. While many leaders voiced their concerns with the idea, Conte backed Trump's call to readmit Russia to the G-7.

Conte, a political outsider, was chosen as prime minister by his peers in parliament and appointed by the Italian president, rather than being elected. No party won a majority of the vote in the election, forcing parties to form a coalition government.

USA TODAY NETWORK will provide live coverage of the joint presser in the player above.</s>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump endorsed Italy's handling of immigration issues Monday as he welcomed the country's new premier to the White House for talks on trade and the military.

Trump said at the start of his meeting with Italy's Giuseppe Conte that the country's new populist government "has taken a very firm stance on the border." The president said other European countries should follow Italy's lead on migration issues.

"I agree very much what you're doing with respect to migration, illegal immigration and even legal immigration," Trump told Conte in the Oval Office.

Italy under Conte's new government has pushed for the European Union to accept tens of thousands of migrants coming across the Mediterranean Sea every year. The meeting follows a recent standoff over a private aid boat carrying more than 200 people who were rescued at sea. Italy, Malta and France all refused to let the vessel disembark.

The two leaders were addressing reporters later Monday in a joint news conference.

Trump welcomed the prime minister to the White House for the first time since the Italian leader came to power in June, bringing together two outsider leaders who have emerged from populist waves within their countries.

Conte leads the euroskeptic coalition of the 5-Star Movement, which considers itself anti-establishment, and the right-wing, north-based League party.

Trump last week avoided escalating a trade dispute with the European Union and his administration is expected to begin negotiations quickly on avoiding tariffs on automobiles and removing trade barriers.

The U.S. president noted the U.S. trade deficit with Italy, a member of the EU, and said he was certain "we'll straighten that out pretty quickly."

The White House has noted that Italy is an important NATO ally and a key partner to U.S. forces in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Conte, in brief remarks, thanked Trump for his "warm hospitality." Trump told him "you'll always be treated warmly."</s>WASHINGTON - 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.</s>Two political outsiders, President Donald Trump and Italy's new premier expressed solidarity on migration issues Monday as they showed signs of a fledgling alliance at a time when the U.S. has dealt with strained relations with European leaders.Trump greeted Italy's Giuseppe Conte as "my new friend" and said they bonded at the recent G7 meetings in Canada, crediting the prime minister for taking a "firm stance on the border." The president said the U.S. and Italy would pursue a new strategic dialogue on security issues, terrorism and immigration."We are both outsiders to politics. Can you believe it?" Trump said during a joint news conference with Conte. Trump said both were "determined to protect the rights and needs and interests and dreams of our citizens and we will do that."Italy under Conte's new government has pushed for the European Union to accept tens of thousands of migrants coming across the Mediterranean Sea every year. The meeting follows a recent standoff over a private aid boat carrying more than 200 people who were rescued at sea. Italy, Malta and France all refused to let the vessel disembark.Trump welcomed the prime minister to the White House for the first time since Conte came to power in June, bringing together two outsider leaders who have emerged from populist waves within their countries.Conte leads the euroskeptic coalition of the 5-Star Movement, which considers itself anti-establishment, and the right-wing, north-based League party.Trump last week avoided escalating a trade dispute with the European Union and his administration is expected to begin negotiations quickly on avoiding tariffs on automobiles and removing trade barriers. But it followed tensions between the U.S. and EU over trade and the transatlantic alliance.During their talks, Trump noted the U.S. trade deficit with Italy, a member of the EU, and said he was certain "we'll straighten that out pretty quickly."Conte, in his remarks, said both he and Trump were leading "governments that represent change, they were chosen by citizens to change the status quo." He cited Italy's "innovative approach" on immigration and expressed support for Trump's recent talks with Russia Vladimir Putin.Prior to the meeting, the White House referred to Italy as an important NATO ally and a key partner to U.S. forces in Afghanistan and Iraq. Trump thanked Italy for its contributions on the fight against the Islamic State and NATO efforts in Afghanistan and later pointed to his push for NATO allies to spend more on defense.But Trump steered clear of publicly faulting Italy for not spending more on defense, or meeting the previously agreed-upon target of 2 percent of gross domestic product by 2024. Italy spent an estimated 1.15 percent of GDP on defense in 2018, according to NATO figures.</s>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - At the outset of a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte at the White House on Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump praised Italy’s increasingly hard-line approach to immigration.

“I agree very much with what you are doing with respect to migration, and illegal immigration, and even legal immigration,” Trump told Conte in the Oval Office. “He has taken a very firm stance on the border, a stance that few countries have taken. And frankly he is doing the right thing in my opinion.”</s>The Latest: Trump insists US will not lift Russian sanctions

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump (all times local):

With his record on Russia under scrutiny, President Donald Trump is insisting that the United States will not lift sanctions against Moscow.

Trump said Monday at a news conference with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte that the sanctions would not change despite the Russians' request.

Conte first broached the subject at a White House news conference and said lifting the sanctions would be "unthinkable." Trump also scolded Germany for agreeing to use a Russian natural gas pipeline while, in his estimation, not paying enough for defense.

Trump has withstood withering criticism in recent weeks for his summit with Russia's Vladimir Putin in which he did not chastise Moscow for its 2016 U.S. election interference.

President Donald Trump says that he is willing to shut down the government over funding for his long-promised border wall but that he'll "always leave room for negotiation."

Trump was asked about his shutdown threat during a joint press conference with Italy's premier Monday.

Trump says, "I'll always leave room for negotiation." But he's stressing the need for border security and overhauling the nation's legal immigration system.

He says, "I would certainly be willing to close it down to get it done" but also says he has "no red line."

Trump is also defending U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, saying it defends the U.S. against "MS-13 nests" of "bad, bad people."

Trump had said during his campaign that Mexico would pay for his wall, but Mexico has balked at that request.

President Donald Trump is warning that Iran must "never be allowed" to possess nuclear weapons.

Trump escalated the rhetoric against Tehran during a joint press conference Monday at the White House alongside the Italian prime minister.

He has zeroed in on the threat posed by Iran in recent weeks, focusing on Tehran instead of the dangers posed by North Korea.

That included a searing all-caps tweet earlier this month after what seemed like a rather mundane warning from Iran about possible armed conflict.

President Donald Trump says he would have "no problem" with a potential government shutdown, saying at a news conference that "it's time we have border security."

Trump is issuing another shutdown threat during a joint news conference with Italy's leader on Monday. The president tweeted over the weekend that he would be willing to shut down the federal government if Democrats don't support a plan to boost border security and fund his signature border wall.

Trump is noting that Italian voters got "tired" of their country's immigration policies. He says that was a key driver behind Premier Giuseppe Conte's recent rise to power.

The potential shutdown is creating anxieties among Republicans who are hoping to maintain control of Congress in the fall midterm elections.

Republicans anxious about keeping control of Congress think it's a bad idea, but President Donald Trump says he's still willing to close the government over border security issues, including money to build a promised U.S.-Mexico border wall.

Trump tweeted Sunday: "I would be willing to 'shut down' government if the Democrats do not give us the votes for Border Security, which includes the Wall! Must get rid of Lottery, Catch & Release etc. and finally go to system of Immigration based on MERIT!"

Trump met at the White House last week with House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

McConnell later told a radio interviewer that a shutdown so close to the Nov. 6 midterm elections won't happen.</s>Two political outsiders, President Donald Trump and Italy’s new premier, expressed solidarity on migration issues Monday as they showed signs of a fledgling alliance at a time when the U.S. has dealt with strained relations with European leaders.

Trump greeted Italy’s Giuseppe Conte as “my new friend” and said they bonded at the recent G7 meetings in Canada, crediting the prime minister for taking a “firm stance on the border.” The president said the U.S. and Italy would pursue a new strategic dialogue on security issues, terrorism and immigration.

“We are both outsiders to politics. Can you believe it?” Trump said during a joint news conference with Conte. Trump said both were “determined to protect the rights and needs and interests and dreams of our citizens, and we will do that.”

Italy under Conte’s new government has pushed for the European Union to accept tens of thousands of migrants coming across the Mediterranean Sea every year. The meeting follows a recent standoff over a private aid boat carrying more than 200 people who were rescued at sea. Italy, Malta and France all refused to let the vessel disembark.

Trump welcomed the prime minister to the White House for the first time since Conte came to power in June, bringing together two outsider leaders who have emerged from populist waves within their countries.

Conte leads the euroskeptic coalition of the 5-Star Movement, which considers itself anti-establishment, and the right-wing, north-based League party.

Trump last week avoided escalating a trade dispute with the European Union, and his administration is expected to begin negotiations quickly on avoiding tariffs on automobiles and removing trade barriers. But it followed tensions between the U.S. and EU over trade and the transatlantic alliance.

During their talks, Trump noted the U.S. trade deficit with Italy, a member of the EU, and said he was certain “we’ll straighten that out pretty quickly.”

Conte, in his remarks, said both he and Trump were leading “governments that represent change; they were chosen by citizens to change the status quo.” He cited Italy’s “innovative approach” on immigration and expressed support for Trump’s recent talks with Russia’s Vladimir Putin.
U.S. President Donald Trump hosts Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte at the White House.