During a recent interview with Corriere della Sera, Valentina Maiolini-Rothbacher, the interpreter who translated for Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during her meeting with former U.S. President Donald Trump, opened up about what she described as an unprecedented experience in her career. “A situation like this has never happened to me before,” she said. “I feel sorry most of all for not being of help.”
The experienced interpreter, who has been working in the field since 1991 and has handled high-level events including the G20, explained that Meloni’s decision to interrupt her during the meeting with Trump was entirely justified. “It was a very important meeting, and every word held significant weight,” Maiolini-Rothbacher said. “Meloni wanted to ensure that Donald Trump fully understood her.”
Although it was her first time at the White House, Maiolini-Rothbacher emphasized her professional background and experience, as noted on her LinkedIn profile.
She also revealed that she has not had contact with Prime Minister Meloni since the encounter and left directly for the airport after the session. According to Corriere della Sera, the interpreter is currently spending time near the sea in the Santa Marinella area.
During the meeting, once Meloni’s translated comments were shared with him, Trump stated that he does not blame Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the ongoing war in Ukraine. However, he added, “I’m not exactly thrilled that the war started.”
The day following her meeting with Trump, Prime Minister Meloni held talks with U.S. Vice President JD Vance in Rome.
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