Meloni and Trump feud over Iran war strains Italy-U.S. ties

Giorgia Meloni and Donald Trump turned a private rapport into a public rupture just as Italy and the United States were already at odds over the Iran war. Trump’s boast that Meloni had “begged” for a photo at the G7 set off a sharp rebuttal from Rome and underscored how far the relationship has drifted since Washington moved against Iran.

The clash landed after weeks of friction over Italy’s refusal to back the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. On May 8, Marco Rubio met Meloni in Rome for about an hour and a half and pressed allies to do more against Tehran, while Italian officials resisted U.S. pressure and refused to let American aircraft use Sigonella air base in Sicily for combat operations linked to the conflict. Guido Crosetto warned then that the war risked nuclear escalation, and the dispute exposed how Meloni was trying to balance loyalty to Washington against strong Italian public opposition to the fighting and its economic costs.

Trump’s comments came in a phone interview with La7, where he said Meloni wanted a picture with him so badly that he “felt sorry for her.” Meloni shot back on social media that the remarks were “completely made up,” insisting that “Italy and I never beg,” and accusing Trump of showing more deference to the enemies of the West than to allies. Antonio Tajani, Italy’s foreign minister, cancelled a planned U.S. trip scheduled for Sunday and called the remarks “serious and offensive to all of Italy.” Matteo Salvini rushed to Meloni’s defense, saying attacks on her were attacks on all Italians.

The public break contrasted with the careful show of normality both leaders staged only days earlier at the G7 in Evian-les-Bains, France, where they met several times, including what an Italian diplomat described as a “clarification meeting” during Monday dinner. Meloni later said her relationship with Trump was unchanged, but earlier in 2026 she had already called his attacks on Pope Leo “unacceptable,” prompting Trump to say she was “no longer the same person” he once knew.

For Meloni, the feud is more than a personal insult. It signals a strategic cooling with a leader she once cultivated as a bridge between Washington and Europe, and it comes as pollsters warn that close ties to Trump could become a liability with Italian voters before national elections next year. The dispute now hangs over future transatlantic negotiations, where Rome may be less willing to align itself so visibly with Trump’s political orbit.