President Barack Obama and
Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi met at the White House on
Tuesday, discussing critical upcoming votes in both nations and
the link between the sluggish European economy and populist
discontent in the continent.
The spotlight from the final state visit of Obama's
presidency comes at an opportune time for Renzi, who seeks a
boost ahead of a constitutional referendum on December 4 that could
determine his political future.
But even Renzi admitted that the US presidential election
on November 8 loomed larger.
"I have a feeling, and I think that rightly so, our American
friends are a little more interested in November 8 than in the
Italian vote on constitutional reform, and so are we, might I
add," Renzi said, drawing laughter from the Rose Garden press
conference.
Obama slammed Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump
for "whining" that the US election is "rigged."
He praised Renzi's proposed economic reforms, and said he
supported the attempt to modernise its political institutions at
the referendum because it would help accelerate economic
changes.
"I do believe that there is a connection between stagnation
and some of the less constructive, populist impulses that have
been rising up," Obama said, saying more jobs needed to be
created for Europe's younger generation.
This is the second time this year Obama has weighed in on
domestic political battles facing his European allies. In April,
he visited London in support of former Prime Minister David
Cameron's unsuccessful efforts to persuade Britain to vote to
remain in the European Union.
The leaders also discussed the fight against Islamic State
and battle to take the Iraqi city of Mosul from the militant
group. Obama insisted the US-led coalition had a plan to deal
with what could be "heart-breaking" humanitarian consequences of
the fight.
