Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni assured today that her ongoing friction with U.S. President Donald Trump, who has frequently criticized the Italian leader, will not damage bilateral relations between the two countries.
Meloni delivered the guarantee during a cabinet meeting, where she also pushed back against Trump’s claim that she needed his support to revive her allegedly falling popularity, telling the American president to focus on his own polling numbers instead.
On Saturday, Trump renewed his criticism of the Italian Prime Minister over her refusal to grant the United States use of Italian military bases during the conflict with Iran. Writing on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump insisted that the Italian leader had begged him “time and again for a photo” during the G7 summit in France earlier in the week—a claim Meloni had already flatly denied.
“Now, after the United States has militarily defeated Iran, she wants to be friends again to ‘boost her numbers.’ No thank you!!!”, Trump added.
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Meloni responded on social media with a direct message to “President Trump,” stating that his continuous and unprovoked attacks made no sense. She noted that being his friend “certainly did not help” her popularity and that her standing does not depend on her relationship with the U.S. executive.
She emphasized that the use of Italian military bases is strictly governed by bilateral agreements that have always been respected and cannot be violated while she remains Prime Minister, declaring, “Italy remains a sovereign nation.” She concluded her message by stating, “In any case, my popularity is none of your business. I suggest you focus on yours.”
The diplomatic spat had already escalated on Friday when Italian Foreign Minister and Vice Prime Minister Antonio Tajani cancelled a scheduled trip to the United States following Trump’s initial photo-related claims. Tajani described Trump’s remarks regarding Meloni as “grave and offensive,” adding that they insulted all of Italy. Meloni also published a video online at the time, expressing astonishment at what she labeled as Trump’s “pure inventions.”
While Donald Trump and Giorgia Meloni were once politically aligned, their relationship fractured publicly after Meloni rebuked Trump for criticizing Pope Leo XIV—who had condemned the war with Iran—and over Italy’s refusal to participate in the military conflict.
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The two leaders held a clearing-of-the-air meeting last week on the sidelines of the G7 summit dinner in Evian, France. Sources cited by the Italian news agency ANSA indicated the meeting was a useful exchange of ideas that initially appeared to clarify the situation.
Domestically, the row prompted a show of unity from the Italian opposition. Elly Schlein, leader of the center-left Democratic Party (PD), stated today that Trump’s attacks against Meloni were entirely unacceptable.
However, she urged the Italian government to transition from social media rebuttals to concrete foreign policy actions, calling on Italy to withdraw from the Peace Council, an entity she argued Italy should never have joined.
