President Donald Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni
Italy’s deputy prime minister and defense minister urged calm after US President Donald Trump posted a mocking photo of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on the website Truth Social, saying transatlantic relations run deeper than public disagreements.On Sunday, Trump posted a photo of Meloni looking at him with the caption “A restraining order is needed,” reigniting a dispute that began last month when he told an Italian TV channel that Meloni “begged” him to take a photo of him at the G7 summit. Meloni denied the allegation.
“I had no reaction. The main thing is to maintain relations with a major ally like the United States,” Defense Minister Guido Crosetto told Italian television channel Sky. “People come and go but relationships remain.”Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani made a similar observation, saying transatlantic ties would not be weakened by individual statements.He added, “From the beginning, we said that we would not respond to such statements, so let us move forward. We are convinced that transatlantic relations go beyond individual statements.”
The opposition describes Trump as a “cheap, despicable bully”
Opposition politicians were less conservative. “Trump is the vile, cheap bully,” Carlo Calenda, leader of the small Azioni party, wrote on X, expressing his support for Meloni.
Meloni was once a staunch supporter of Trump and was the only European leader to attend his inauguration in 2025. However, she criticized him earlier this year for attacking Pope Leo over his condemnation of the Iranian conflict, drawing a sharp rebuke from Trump, who accused her of lacking courage.The exchange comes as the two leaders are scheduled to attend a NATO summit in Türkiye this week. Meloni has not yet responded to Trump’s latest post.