Italian officials criticized President Donald Trump’s “restraining order needed” post about Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni while emphasizing that U.S.-Italy cooperation remains vital.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
U.S. President Donald Trump’s latest public remark about Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni drew criticism from senior Italian officials days before the United States, Italy and other alliance members were expected to gather for a NATO summit focused on defense spending, military production and support for Ukraine.
Trump posted an image of Meloni on Truth Social on July 5 with the caption “restraining order needed.” The image appeared to show Meloni looking in Trump’s direction during an earlier public event. Trump did not add further explanation to the post.
The remark followed several weeks of tension between the two leaders, whose relationship had generally been seen as friendly. Questions about that dynamic increased after the June G7 summit, when Trump said Meloni had “begged” him for a photograph. Meloni rejected that account and said she was “astonished” by what Trump had said.
The dispute has continued as the 36th NATO Summit in Ankara approaches. The summit is scheduled for July 7–8 and is expected to include discussions on higher defense investment, expanded military production and continued military support for Ukraine as Russia’s war continues.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani was among the officials who responded earlier to Trump’s comments about the G7 meeting. Tajani said on June 19 that he was canceling a planned visit to Washington because of Trump’s remarks. In a post on X that same day, Tajani called the comments unacceptable. He later sought to reassure the public on June 22 that diplomatic contacts with Washington had not ended.
Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto responded more cautiously after Trump’s July 5 post about Meloni. Speaking to Italy’s Sky TV, Crosetto said he did not plan to publicly react to the image because maintaining ties with the United States remained more important than personal disputes.
“The fundamental thing is to maintain relations with a key ally like the USA,” Crosetto said. “People come and go, but relationships remain.”
Italian opposition leader Carlo Calenda, of the Azione party, also weighed in despite his political differences with Meloni. In a July 6 post on X, Calenda expressed “full solidarity” with Meloni and criticized Trump over the post.
The public exchange comes as NATO leaders prepare to meet under pressure to strengthen the alliance’s defense posture. Member countries are expected to focus heavily on military readiness, burden-sharing and the long-term security challenges tied to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Meloni said in June that Italy plans to spend 2.8 percent of its gross domestic product on defense and security in 2026. That would represent an increase of 0.71 percentage points from the prior year as Italy moves closer to NATO’s long-term spending objectives.
The pledge follows an agreement reached by NATO allies last year to raise defense spending to 5 percent by 2035. Trump has repeatedly pressed NATO members to pay more toward their own defense, making burden-sharing a central issue in his approach to the alliance during both his first term and his current term.
Meloni has argued that defense strength should not be measured only by spending levels. Speaking in June, she said the war between Ukraine and Russia has shown that modern conflict increasingly depends on technology, innovation and drones rather than only traditional measurements of military power. She suggested NATO should use a broader set of standards when evaluating military readiness.
The summit is also taking place amid broader questions about the future of NATO and the U.S. role in the alliance. U.S. officials have recently said that several European allies have not done enough to share defense responsibilities, particularly during the war with Iran earlier this year. Those concerns have contributed to renewed debate within the Trump administration about NATO’s long-term structure and obligations.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said May 4 that alliance members had “gotten the message” from Trump about agreements covering U.S. access to military bases in Europe.
Rutte later said in a June 23 Fox News interview that about 500 U.S. aircraft had departed from American bases in Italy in support of “Operation Epic Fury.” His statement prompted swift criticism because Meloni’s government had repeatedly said Italy did not authorize its territory to be used for direct military action against Iran.
Italy’s Defense Ministry issued a detailed statement on June 24 saying the government acted in accordance with the country’s Constitution, international treaties and parliamentary guidance. The ministry said only technical and logistical support had been approved under existing agreements and said no permission had been granted for combat operations.
The ministry also disputed Rutte’s characterization, saying his remarks created “a totally misleading message” by conflating different categories of authorized flights. It added that “a simple check at the source would have sufficed to obtain the true representation of what happened.”
Despite the public disagreements involving Trump, Meloni and NATO officials, Italian officials have said cooperation between Rome and Washington continues. Officials confirmed in June that joint work remains active in advanced technology, artificial intelligence and critical minerals.
Those projects are part of broader efforts by the United States and Italy to strengthen supply chains and expand industrial partnerships even as political friction between the two governments has drawn public attention.
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