‘People come and go, but relationships remain’: Italian minister downplays Trump’s mocking of Meloni
Italy’s deputy prime minister and defense minister urge US president to remain calm Donald Trump A mocking photo of Italian Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni was posted on Truth Social, saying the transatlantic relationship goes deeper than public disputes.Trump on Sunday posted a photo of Meloni looking at him with the caption “Need a restraining order,” reigniting a feud that began last month when he told an Italian television channel that Meloni “begged” him for a photo at the G7 summit. Meloni denied the claims.“I have no reaction. The fundamental thing is to maintain relationships with important allies like the United States,” Defense Minister Guido Crosetto told Sky Italia. “People come and go, but relationships remain.”Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani made similar remarks, saying transatlantic relations would not be weakened by personal statements.“From the beginning, we have said we will not respond to such statements, so let’s move forward. We believe the transatlantic relationship goes far beyond personal statements.”
Opposition calls Trump a ‘despicable, cheap bully’
Opposition politicians were less restrained. Carlo Calenda, leader of the minor party Azione, expressed his support for Meloni by writing on X: “Trump is a mean, cheap bully.”Meloni has been an outspoken supporter of Trump and the only European leader to attend Trump’s 2025 inauguration. However, she criticized Trump earlier this year for lashing out at Pope Leo for condemning the conflict in Iran, prompting Trump to bluntly accuse her of lacking courage.The exchange comes as the two leaders attend a NATO summit in Türkiye this week. Meloni has yet to respond to Trump’s latest post.
