From positioning herself as a “bridge” between Washington and the European Union in 2025, to refusing to support United States President Donald Trump’s war against Iran in April 2026, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s relationship with the US president has frayed in recent times.
Most recently, the fracture in their relationship was evident when Trump, in an interview to Italy’s La7 TV channel, claimed, “She [Meloni] begged me to take a photo with her,” at the three-day G7 Summit held in Evian-les-Bains in France, adding that the Italian leader was “probably happy” that he had spoken to her.
Meloni swiftly responded to the claims, calling them “completely unfounded”. Posting a video message on Instagram, the Italian PM, who was once a close ally of Trump, said, “Frankly, I’m shocked. I don’t understand why the president of the United States behaves like this towards his allies.”
Meloni stated, “There is one thing he [Trump] should remember: neither I nor Italy ever beg.”
Strained ties
Their relationship further suffered on Saturday, when Trump accused Meloni of seeking to rebuild ties with Washington, while claiming her popularity had suffered because of her stance on the US’s military campaign against Iran.
Over a post on X, Trump wrote: “She is doing poorly in Italy with her level of popularity, possibly because she turned down the United States of America, a country that truly loves and protects Italy, when it came to denying Iran from obtaining or developing a nuclear weapon (But so did NATO, for that matter!).”
Meloni was quick to hit back this time as well, calling Trump’s criticism “senseless” and rejecting all suggestions that her political stature depended on her relationship with the US president.
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The latest episode demonstrates the deepening of an increasingly public rift between the two powerful leaders. The dustup, the Associated Press reported, has led Italy’s foreign minister to cancel a planned trip to the US as Meloni’s government showed up in her defense.
Trump-Meloni ties: A timeline
October 22, 2022: Giorgia Meloni takes office as the first female Prime Minister of Italy. She emerged as one of the strongest allies of US President Trump in Europe.
January 5, 2025: Meloni visited Trump at Mar-a-Lago after his Election Day victory in November 2024, following other leaders such as Argentina President Javier Milei, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán of Hungry, the Associated Press reported.
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At the time, Trump called Meloni a “fantastic woman.” “I’m here with a fantastic woman, the prime minister of Italy. She’s really taken Europe by storm, and everyone else, and we’re just having dinner tonight,” Trump said. They also watched the screening of a documentary together, according to the report.
Meloni, too, appreciated her visit to the Florida Club, saying it went “beyond expectations”, the newspaper quoted. It was “an opportunity to confirm a relationship that promises to be very solid”.
January 20, 2025: Trump takes oath as the 47th President of the United States at the US Capitol in Washington, DC. Meloni was the only European Union (EU) leader invited to Trump’s second inauguration.
January 9, 2026: Meloni said she did not believe the US would use military force to seize Greenland, according to a Reuters report, warning that such a move would have grave consequences for NATO.
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“There are many things on which I do not agree with Trump. For example, I believe international law must be strongly defended. … When I disagree, I tell him, I have no difficulty doing so,” Meloni said at the time, the news agency quoted.
January 18, 2026: Meloni referred to Trump’s threat to enforce tariffs on opponents of his plan to seize Greenland as a “mistake,” claiming that she had spoken directly with Trump to clarify the matter. She had also urged dialogue through NATO to prevent escalation. She also said that Italy would never support such a forced move, AP reported.
Her comments came after Trump announced that Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Finland would face 10% tariff from February 1 for opposing the American plan of taking control of Greenland. He also warned the tariffs could rise to 25% on June 1 unless a “deal is reached”.
March 2026: Italy, a key logistics hub for the US, refused to allow US bombers headed for the Middle East to use a base in Sicily, with Meloni insisting that any use of Italian bases for offensive operations would require parliamentary backing, news agency AP reported. The decision reflected constitutional constraints and strong opposition to the Iran war.
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April 2026: The relationship between Trump and Meloni further fractured when the Italian PM called Trump’s attacks on US-born Pope Leo XIV, “unacceptable”, after the pontiff expressed his criticism of the war waged by the US and Israel against Iran.
Trump, in his response, hit back at both Leo and Meloni, calling the former “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy.” He also said, “I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon.”
Trump also targeted Meloni, telling the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera: “I thought she had courage, but I was wrong.”
June 2026: Trump claims Meloni “begged” him repeatedly for a photograph at the three-day G7 Summit held in Evian-les-Bains in France last week. Calling the claims “completely unfounded,” Meloni swiftly responded: “There is one thing he [Trump] should remember: neither I nor Italy ever beg.”
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Moreover, Trump also alleged Meloni of seeking to repair ties with Washington, claiming her popularity had suffered because of her initial stance on US’s military campaign against Iran.
Meloni responded, calling Trump’s criticism “senseless” and rejected all suggestions that her political stature depended on her relationship with the US president.
This feud has led Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani to cancel his scheduled trip to the US on June 22 and 23. Tajani has referred to the alleged comments made by Trump as “serious and offensive” to all of Italy.
Le gravi e offensive parole del Presidente Trump nei confronti del Presidente del Consiglio Giorgia Meloni offendono tutta l’Italia. Per questo motivo ho deciso di annullare la mia visita negli Stati Uniti prevista per i prossimi 21 e 22 giugno.
— Antonio Tajani (@Antonio_Tajani) June 19, 2026
US-Europe relations
Trump’s relationship with Europe had long been fraying, essentially over the US administration’s trade policy toward the continent, the president’s continued threats to take control of Greenland — and Trump’s war against Iran.
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At the just-concluded G7 summit, Trump took a warmer tone toward other European leaders in the coalition, as they aligned behind his interim agreement to end the war in Iran, AP noted.
