Trump and Meloni Trade Public Barbs as U.S.-Italy Tensions Rise

The public feud between U.S. President Donald Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni escalated on June 21, 2026, with both leaders attacking each other on social media. Trump said Meloni’s popularity in Italy was “not good” and accused her of refusing to help the United States in the war against Iran. Meloni fired back, telling him, “I suggest you focus on your popularity.”

The clash followed Trump’s claim in an interview with Italian television that Meloni had “begged” to take a photo with him. He said she wanted a picture so badly that he agreed “out of pity.” Meloni dismissed that account as “a complete invention” and said Trump treats his enemies better than his allies.

Trump then intensified the dispute in a post on Truth Social. He wrote that Meloni had repeatedly asked to be photographed with him during the G7 summit in France, argued that her popularity in Italy was weak, and linked her stance to Italy’s refusal to assist the U.S. in preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. He also said Italy did not let the U.S. use Italian runways, creating a “significant logistical difficulty,” despite America spending “hundreds of billions of dollars” annually on NATO defense. Trump concluded, “No thanks!!!”

Meloni responded in another public post that Trump’s “continuous and unjustified attacks are absurd.” She said her popularity does not depend on him, but on her ability to defend Italy’s national interest. She added that this also applies to American military bases in Italy, and insisted, “Italy will remain a sovereign country.” Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani later canceled a planned official visit to Washington for next week, calling Trump’s remarks “an insult to all of Italy.” The dispute marks a sharp deterioration in relations between Trump and a leader once seen as his closest European ally.