President Donald Trump escalated his public feud with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Saturday, slamming her for denying U.S. military forces access to Italian airbases during the Iran war—then rejecting her renewed attempts at friendship now that the fighting is over.
“Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni asked, over and over, for a picture with me during the G-7 meeting in France,” Trump posted on Truth Social Saturday morning, doubling down on a claim Meloni called “completely made up.”
“Now, after the United States defeated Iran militarily, she wants to be friends again in order to get her ‘numbers up.’ No thanks!!!”
The president went further, attacking Meloni’s popularity at home and accusing her of failing America when it mattered most.
“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, when it came to denying Iran from obtaining or developing a Nuclear Weapon,” Trump wrote.
Italy denied the U.S. use of an air base in Sicily for warplanes carrying weapons bound for the Iran campaign, The Guardian reported in March.
Trump called the refusal “a great logistical inconvenience” and tied it to broader frustrations with NATO allies who he says fail to provide substantive military support despite U.S. defense spending.
“Despite the fact the U.S. contributes hundreds of Billions of Dollars a year to protect Italy, and other ‘so-called’ NATO Allies,” Trump wrote, Meloni still refused American forces access to Italian runways.
Meloni fired back late Saturday with a lengthy Instagram post condemning Trump’s “senseless” and “constant” attacks.
“Italy remains a sovereign nation. In any case, my popularity is none of your concern. I suggest you focus on yours.”
She defended her decision to block U.S. use of the bases, saying their use “is governed by agreements that we have always respected, and that cannot be violated as long as I am Prime Minister.”
Meloni also pushed back on Trump’s claim about begging for a photo at the G7, telling Reuters on Friday she was “astonished” by the allegation.
“I don’t know why the president of the United States behaves like this towards his allies: it is not the first time, moreover,” she said.
The fracture marks a dramatic reversal for the two conservative leaders. Meloni was the only European Union leader invited to Trump’s inauguration in January 2025, NPR reported. Both share conservative values and have pushed back against “woke” ideology.
Cracks began forming when Trump imposed worldwide tariffs. Despite Meloni’s efforts to secure trade relief, the U.S. still maintains a 15% tariff on most EU imports.
In April, Meloni issued a rare public rebuke after Trump attacked Pope Leo over foreign policy views on Iran, calling the president’s comments “unacceptable.”
Before the U.S. and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding Wednesday halting hostilities for 60 days, Meloni repeatedly insisted Italy would not join the war.
“Italy is not participating and has no intention of participating,” Meloni told the Italian Senate in March.
Still, Meloni has long opposed Iran’s nuclear ambitions. At last year’s G7 Summit, she said, “We all agree on the fact that Iran cannot equip itself with a nuclear weapon. The goal we are all working towards is to have negotiations that will truly prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear power.”
U.S.-Iran talks scheduled for Friday were temporarily postponed amid renewed fighting in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah, an Iran-backed terrorist group. Talks later resumed in Switzerland after Israel and Hezbollah reached a ceasefire.
