Trump lashes out at Italy's Meloni over G7 photo dispute and Iran war cooperation
President Donald Trump intensified an ongoing diplomatic feud on Saturday, unleashing a social media broadside against Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Writing from the Camp David presidential retreat, Trump claimed that Meloni repeatedly requested a photograph with him at the recent Group of Seven summit in France and sharply criticized Italy’s stance during the war with Iran.
The conflict began earlier in the week during an interview with an Italian television network. When asked about Ukraine, Trump pivoted to Meloni, claiming she had "begged" for a photo at the G7 gathering. He asserted that while he was under no obligation to do so, he felt sorry for her and agreed to the picture. Meloni quickly dismissed the account as entirely fabricated, prompting the Italian government to rally behind her and leading Italy’s foreign minister to cancel a scheduled trip to the United States.
In his Saturday post—which initially featured a misspelling of Meloni's first name before being corrected—Trump linked the Italian leader’s domestic popularity to her lack of support for the United States. He suggested her standing was suffering because she had declined to assist the U.S. in preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, adding that NATO had similarly fallen short.
Meloni responded swiftly via an Instagram post, calling Trump’s persistent, unprovoked broadsides senseless. She countered that her relationship with Trump had not benefited her domestic standing, stating that her popularity is rooted in her defense of Italy’s national interests rather than foreign approval. She concluded by suggesting that Trump focus on his own popularity rather than hers.
The friction also highlights long-standing American frustrations regarding defense contributions and military cooperation within NATO, a topic Trump emphasized ahead of an upcoming White House meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and a subsequent alliance summit in Turkey. Trump specifically complained that Italy denied the U.S. military access to its runways during the conflict with Iran.
Italy serves as a vital logistical hub for the U.S., but in March, Rome declined to let American bombers bound for the Middle East utilize a military base in Sicily. Meloni has consistently maintained that using Italian installations for offensive operations requires explicit parliamentary approval, a position shaped by constitutional limitations and robust domestic opposition to the war.
Despite the tension, Trump claimed on Saturday that Meloni now wishes to mend the diplomatic relationship following an initial agreement aimed at concluding the war between the U.S. and Iran.
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