Among Europe’s current crop of leaders, few have seemingly had more in common with President Trump than Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
That close relationship has experienced some tension in recent days, however, with Meloni criticizing Trump’s remarks about the pope and Italy shying away from fully supporting the U.S. mission in Iran.
Trump addressed the situation in a recent interview, as Fox News reported:
In a phone interview with Italian daily newspaper Corriere della Sera, Trump called Meloni “unacceptable” and said he was “shocked” by her stance, according to the outlet’s English-language version.
ADVERTISEMENTThe dispute with Trump was further fueled by Meloni’s criticism of his recent remarks targeting Pope Leo XIV, which she called “unacceptable,” prompting Trump to respond that “she is the one who is unacceptable.”
In a scathing rebuke of the Vatican’s call for Middle Eastern de-escalation, President Trump took to Truth Social to blast Pope Leo XIV. Labeling the pontiff “WEAK on Crime” and “terrible for Foreign Policy,” Trump warned him to “focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician.” The post, which quickly went viral, accused the first American pope of “catering to the Radical Left” at the expense of global security.
In the interview to Corriere della Sera Trump also reiterated criticism of Pope Leo, saying the pontiff “has no idea what’s going on in Iran” and “doesn’t understand” what is at stake.
The latest development in international relations fueled some social media speculation:
🚨 IT'S OFFICIAL: President Trump SEVERS his warm relationship with right-wing Italian PM Giorgia Meloni
"NO. She's been NEGATIVE. Anyone who turned us down helping us with Iran, we do NOT have the same relationship."
Looks like that goes for ALL countries who rebuffed him pic.twitter.com/Zhjo8C46in
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) April 15, 2026
Meloni isn't defending the Pope out of principle. She's defending an Italian institution because attacking it is domestic political suicide. The real test: does this rift survive the next trade deal, or vanish the moment Trump offers something useful?
— Dr Kitsune (@DocKitsune) April 14, 2026
If he was in her country taking up for Muslim invaders, she would sing a different tune.
— TrueBeliever45 (@AmyDianne5) April 14, 2026
If he was in her country taking up for Muslim invaders, she would sing a different tune.
— TrueBeliever45 (@AmyDianne5) April 14, 2026
Al Jazeera reported on the significant shift in what was once appeared to be among the closest relationships between world leaders:
Meloni, Italy’s leader since October 2022, used to be one of Trump’s closest allies in Europe and often sought to act as a mediator between diverging US and European views.
ADVERTISEMENTBut the president said they had not spoken this month, “not in a long time”, saying: “She doesn’t help us with NATO.
“She doesn’t want to help get rid of a nuclear-weaponed Iran. Very sad … She’s much different than I thought,” Trump added.
He described the NATO military alliance as a “paper tiger” and criticised Europe, in general, for not being “willing to fight for the Hormuz Strait, which is where they get their energy”.
Trump said Meloni was “not the same person. Italy is not the same country. Immigration is killing Italy and all of Europe.”
Here’s some additional coverage of the unfolding saga:
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