Trump associate floats idea of transatlantic warplane program

ROME — A longstanding acquaintance and former employee of Donald Trump who has taken on the title of U.S. special envoy to Italy is pushing for America to enter the Euro-Japanese GCAP fighter plane program.

The unusual proposal was made by Paolo Zampolli, a Italian former New York model agency manager who introduced President Trump to his wife Melania in 1998 and worked for a period as a real estate manager for Trump.

A frequent guest at the president’s Mar a Lago residence in Florida, Zampolli is also ambassador to the UN for the Caribbean island of Dominica.

In a Feb. 22 interview with Italian newspaper Il Giornale, Zampolli said he had been appointed by Trump as his special envoy to Italy days earlier.

“The other day, the president, in front of ten people, suddenly pointed at me and asked me to be a special envoy,” he said.

“He is always very busy and quick. He says a few words and solves problems,” he added.

Last week, Zampolli was back in his home country, holding meetings with senior government officials including Italian deputy prime minster, Matteo Salvini.

After the meeting, Salvini posted on X that he had had a “cordial and constructive meeting at the ministry with Paolo Zampolli, special envoy to Italy chosen by Donald Trump.”

He added, “It was an occasion to confirm the excellent relations with the new U.S. administration and reinforce the economic and commercial ties between the two countries.”

During an interview on prime time Italian TV with Italy’s best known TV host, Bruno Vespa, Zampolli said he would focus on defense industry ties between Italy and the United States.

In a phone interview with Defense News, Zampolli said he had been discussing the idea of the U.S. entering the tri-nation Global Combat Air Programme, which groups the U.K., Italy and Japan .

As the U.S. focuses on its own concepts for the sixth generation fighter, Zampolli said a unified program, was “a very wise idea” since it would save funds for both the U.S. and the U.K., Italy and Japan.

He added, “If you want to get a plane done, it is better to work together.”

He said, “If you want a new plane you need the U.S.”

Zampolli said the idea had not come from President Trump. “I have not discussed this with the president,” he said, adding, “It’s an early conversation.”

But he said “it would work for everybody.”

Zampolli added that after discussing the idea during his meetings in Italy, “people want to look into it.”

In December, the British, Japanese and Italian firms partnered on the GCAP fighter announced the launch of a joint venture dedicated to the program which will be headquartered in London.

The firms will work with the U.K.-based program office which teams the three government customers to get the fighter in service by 2035.

In the U.S., both the Air Force and Navy are working on sixth-generation fighter programs.

Asked for its views on Zampolli’s proposal that the U.S. enter the GCAP program to promote savings, U.S. warplane maker Lockheed Martin told Defense News:

“Lockheed Martin stands ready to help our customers achieve their national security missions. Questions regarding GCAP as a trilateral government program are best directed to the respective governments involved.”

Zampolli’s mission to Italy took some Italian politicians by surprise.

Asked about him by reporters, Italy’s foreign minister and second deputy prime minister, Antonio Tajani, said, “Zampolli who?”

Asked about the precise nature of Zampolli’s areas of responsibility, the U.S. Embassy in Rome referred the question to the White House press office, which has been contacted for response by Defense News.

Tom Kington is the Italy correspondent for Defense News.

罗马——一位与唐纳德·特朗普相识多年的前雇员，如今担任美国驻意大利特使，正在推动美国加入欧洲-日本的GCAP战斗机项目。

这项不同寻常的提议是由意大利前纽约模特经纪公司经理保罗·赞波利提出的，他于 1998 年将特朗普总统介绍给了他的妻子梅拉尼娅，并曾担任特朗普的房地产经理一段时间。

赞波利经常出入总统位于佛罗里达州的海湖庄园，他同时也是加勒比海岛国多米尼克的联合国大使。

2月22日，赞波利在接受意大利报纸《日报》（Il Giornale）采访时表示，几天前他被特朗普任命为驻意大利特使。

“前几天，总统当着十个人的面，突然指着我，让我担任特使，”他说。

“他总是非常忙碌，而且行动迅速。他只需说几句话就能解决问题，”他补充道。

上周，赞波利回到了祖国，与包括意大利副总理马泰奥·萨尔维尼在内的高级政府官员举行了会晤。

会后，萨尔维尼在 X 上发帖称，他在外交部与唐纳德·特朗普挑选的意大利特使保罗·赞波利进行了“友好而富有建设性的会晤”。

他补充说：“这是一个确认与美国新政府良好关系​​并加强两国经济和商业联系的机会。”

在意大利黄金时段电视节目中，赞波利接受意大利最著名的电视主持人布鲁诺·韦斯帕的采访时表示，他将重点关注意大利和美国之间的国防工业联系。

赞波利在接受《防务新闻》电话采访时表示，他一直在讨论美国加入由英国、意大利和日本组成的三国全球作战空中计划的想法。

在美国专注于自身第六代战斗机概念之际，赞波利表示，统一计划是一个“非常明智的想法”，因为它可以为美国、英国、意大利和日本节省资金。

他补充说：“如果想把飞机造好，最好是合作完成。”

他说：“如果你想要一架新飞机，你需要美国。”

赞波利表示，这个想法并非来自特朗普总统。“我没有和总统讨论过这件事，”他说道，“这只是一个初步的讨论。”

但他表示“这对每个人都适用”。

赞波利补充说，在意大利的会议上讨论过这个想法后，“人们都想深入了解一下”。

去年 12 月，参与​​ GCAP 战斗机项目的英国、日本和意大利公司宣布成立一家专门负责该项目的合资企业，总部将设在伦敦。

这些公司将与总部位于英国的项目办公室合作，该办公室负责协调三个政府客户，争取在 2035 年前使该战斗机投入使用。

在美国，空军和海军都在研发第六代战斗机项目。

当被问及对赞波利提出的美国加入全球能力建设援助计划（GCAP）以促进成本节约的提议有何看法时，美国战机制造商洛克希德·马丁公司告诉《防务新闻》：

“洛克希德·马丁公司随时准备帮助我们的客户完成其国家安全任务。有关全球合作行动计划（GCAP）作为三方政府项目的问题，最好直接咨询相关政府部门。”

赞波利出使意大利让一些意大利政界人士感到意外。

当记者问及他时，意大利外交部长兼第二副总理安东尼奥·塔亚尼说：“赞波利是谁？”

当被问及赞波利的具体职责范围时，美国驻罗马大使馆将问题转给了白宫新闻办公室，《防务新闻》已联系白宫新闻办公室寻求回应。

汤姆·金顿是《防务新闻》驻意大利记者。