A public clash with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has become the clearest sign that Donald Trump is losing the European allies who once saw him as an asset. The article says leaders and politicians in Britain, France, Germany and Hungary who once styled themselves as bridges to Washington are now distancing themselves from him, or are no longer in office. In early 2025, nationalist and far-right figures gathered in Madrid under the slogan “Make Europe Great Again,” and Marine Le Pen declared that only Europe’s “national patriots” could talk to the new Trump administration.
Meloni, long considered Trump’s closest European ally, was the only European leader at his 2025 inauguration and spent months trying to preserve ties despite his attacks on Europe, tariff threats and comments on Greenland. Last week, however, Trump told an Italian interview that Meloni had “begged” to take a photo with him at the G7 summit in France. Meloni answered, “I and Italy never beg,” and Italy’s foreign minister canceled a planned trip to Washington. Trump had already insulted her in April, saying she was “unacceptable” and claiming “immigration is killing Italy and all of Europe.”
The article says Trump’s standing is now weak even among nationalist voters in Italy, Britain and France. In a Wall Street Journal cited poll, 37% of respondents said Nigel Farage’s support for Trump was a reason they would not back Reform UK. Le Pen and Farage have also criticized Trump’s Iran war, while Hungary’s Viktor Orban lost his prime ministership despite support from Trump allies, including a visit by U.S. Vice President JD Vance.
The war with Iran accelerated the break. It hurt energy markets and Europe’s economic outlook, and brought little public support on the continent. Meloni opposed the war from the start, citing instability in the Middle East and the risk of escalation. Italy also refused to let the U.S. use a Sicilian air base for strikes, saying parliamentary approval was required. NATO chief Mark Rutte told Fox News that 500 U.S. military planes took off from bases in Italy during the war. Despite the strain, Europe still needs Trump on Ukraine and NATO, but the article concludes that he has gone from political asset to political liability.
