A rift has opened between US President Donald Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, two leaders once seen as close political allies, after a dispute over a photo and a far more serious disagreement over military access during the Iran conflict.
The trouble started when Trump claimed on Truth Social that Meloni had repeatedly sought for a photo with him at the recent G7 summit in France. “Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni asked, over and over, for a picture with me during the G-7 meeting in France. 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,” he wrote.
Trump went further, tying the comment to his broader frustration that Italy had declined to let the U.S. use its air bases and runways during military operations against Iran. “When it came to denying Iran from obtaining or developing a Nuclear Weapon (But so did NATO, for that matter!). She wouldn’t even let us use Italy’s landing strips or runways, a great logistical inconvenience, and this despite the fact the U.S. contributes hundreds of Billions of Dollars a year to protect Italy, and other ‘so-called’ NATO Allies. Now, after the United States defeated Iran militarily, she wants to be friends again in order to get her ‘numbers up.’ No,” he wrote.
Meloni didn’t let the claim stand. Posting a video response, she called Trump’s account “completely fabricated” and said she was “frankly stunned” that he would invent such a story about an ally. “Italy and I do not beg,” she said. “I don’t know why the US president behaves this way towards allies. But there is one thing he needs to remember: neither I nor Italy ever beg.”
The fallout moved quickly beyond words. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani cancelled a planned weekend trip to the United States, calling Trump’s remarks “serious and offensive” toward Meloni and Italy as a whole.
A business and scientific forum he’d been scheduled to attend in Miami was called off as well.
President Sergio Mattarella reportedly reached out to Meloni to express his support, condemning Trump’s comments as disrespectful to the country.
Meloni attended Trump’s inauguration in January 2025 and was widely regarded as one of his most reliable partners in Europe.
But she has increasingly kept her distance from Washington in recent months, particularly over the U.S. military attack against Iran, and has drawn repeated criticism from Trump questioning her political courage and her opposition to American foreign policy.
The clash is a part of a larger pattern, European leaders growing more willing to push back against Trump on matters of foreign policy, from the Iran conflict to US requests for military access on the continent.
It underscores a deeper strain running through the transatlantic relationship over military cooperation and diverging priorities.
Arti Bali
