I like her, but she made mistake: Trump on Meloni's stance on Iran
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- Trump told reporters at the NATO summit in Ankara that Meloni "made a mistake" by refusing to support Washington during the Iran conflict, saying the relationship had "soured" even though she's "a nice person"
- Italy denied US military aircraft permission to land at Sigonella Air Base in Sicily in March before flying to the Middle East, saying Washington lacked required authorization from Rome
- Trump accused Italy of refusing to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz during the conflict, a vital global oil shipping route
- The first crack in relations came when Trump criticized Pope Leo for condemning the Iran war, prompting Meloni to defend the pontiff
- Trump escalated tensions by posting a doctored image of Meloni on Truth Social captioned "RESTRAINING ORDER NEEDED" and claiming at the G7 in France she "begged" him for a photo — which she denied, saying "Italy and I never beg"
- Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Rome would stop responding to Trump's provocative remarks, while Defence Minister Guido Crosetto stressed that maintaining US relations is "the fundamental thing"
Why it matters: The Trump-Meloni relationship has shifted from one of his closest European partnerships — she was the only European leader at his 2025 inauguration — to public acrimony over concrete policy decisions including Italy's denial of landing rights at Sigonella and refusal to help with the Strait of Hormuz. The personal barbs and social media sparring now risk distracting from NATO's Ankara agenda on defense spending and Ukraine support.
