The US president has joked that he ought to file a restraining order against the Italian prime minister
US President Donald Trump has suggested that he may need a restraining order against Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, reviving a public feud between the two leaders.
The Italian prime minister last month dismissed Trump’s claim that she had desperately been seeking a photo opportunity with him during a G7 summit in France. Meloni argued that appearing too friendly with the US president could damage a politician’s popularity, contrary to what he believes.
On Sunday, Trump shared an image on Truth Social showing Meloni looking up at him with an admiring expression. The caption read: “Restraining order needed.” The two leaders are due to meet this week in Ankara at a NATO leaders’ summit. The joke, however, does not appear to have originated with Trump.
Relations between Trump and Meloni deteriorated after Italy declined to directly back the US-Israeli war with Iran. Meloni also criticized Trump’s remarks about Pope Leo XIV, after the US president described the American-born pontiff as “weak on crime” and “ungrateful.”
The dispute following the G7 summit disrupted a planned US visit by Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who had been expected to attend a US-Italian business forum in Miami on June 21. Behind the scenes, however, both governments appear to be trying to ease tensions.
Tajani and other Italian ministers attended a celebration of the 250th anniversary of US independence hosted by the US Embassy in Rome. Speaking at the event, Tajani said that “the friendship between Italy and the United States is stronger than any controversy.”
US Ambassador to Italy Tilman Fertitta also struck a conciliatory tone in a recent interview with local media, saying Meloni “has done an excellent job” as prime minister and has helped Italy “become a global leader.”
Trump’s latest post has drawn criticism in Italy. Carlo Calenda, a former economic development minister who now leads the liberal Azione party, called the US president “a despicable two-bit bully” and voiced support for Meloni.
