Trump To Hold News Conference With Italian Prime Minister

President Trump holds a joint news conference at the White House Monday, along with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte. The president is likely to be asked about his threat to shut down the government if Congress fails to fund his border wall, as well as the criminal trial of his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, which starts Tuesday in Virginia.

Trump renewed his demand for border wall funding as well as changes to U.S. immigration law in a tweet Sunday, saying “I would be willing to ‘shut down’ government if the Democrats do not give us the votes for Border Security.” Republicans, who hold majorities in both the House and Senate, have not been able to pass the immigration changes the president wants. And GOP leaders in Congress are reluctant to see a government shutdown this fall, just weeks ahead of the midterm elections.

Manafort’s trial is also a likely topic for questions during the president’s news conference, although the charges against Manafort do not directly involve Trump. Manafort, who led the Trump campaign for five months in 2016, is charged with bank fraud and filing false tax returns. He allegedly steered tens of millions of dollars into offshore accounts to avoid paying taxes on money he made working for a pro-Russian political party in Ukraine.

The judge in the case has previously suggested prosecutors are pursuing Manafort in hopes he’ll provide damaging information about Trump. Manafort is also facing a second trial in Washington, D.C.

Monday’s news conference follows a White House meeting that Trump is hosting with the Italian prime minister. Conte shares Trump’s populist tendencies as well as his skepticism about immigration. Conte was the only G-7 leader to embrace Trump’s call to invite Russian President Vladimir Putin back into the diplomatic club — an idea that was quickly quashed by other G-7 countries.

While Trump and Conte are potential allies, Italy has failed to boost its defense spending to levels the president wants. Last year, Italy devoted about 1.35 percent of its overall economy to defense, roughly the same level as Germany.

Trump may also use the news conference to tout some positive economic news. Last week the Commerce Department reported that the U.S. economy grew at an annual rate of 4.1 percent between April and June. That’s the fastest pace in almost four years, though it’s not clear whether that signals the beginning of a sustained acceleration in growth or just a temporary “sugar high” from tax cuts and increased government spending.