Overview
- President Trump renewed the dispute by posting an edited photo of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Truth Social with the caption “RESTRAINING ORDER NEEDED” and by repeating that she had “begged” him for a G7 photo.
- Meloni called the “begged” claim completely made up, defended her record of courting Trump, and repeatedly said Italy will not participate in attacks on Iran.
- The row has a concrete policy root: in March Italy denied U.S. military aircraft permission to land at the Sigonella base in Sicily before missions to the Middle East, creating legal and operational tension.
- At the NATO summit in Ankara on Wednesday the leaders showed awkward public interactions, Trump described Meloni as “a nice person” while also criticizing her Iran stance, and viral clips captured a strained handshake.
- Analysts and European officials say the episode is accelerating a move to reduce reliance on the U.S. if relations with Trump stay erratic and could shape alliance cooperation and domestic politics in Italy ahead of elections.