Italian ministers said Rome will avoid escalating a public dispute with President Donald Trump as Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni prepares to attend the NATO summit in Ankara.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government signaled it will not escalate its public dispute with President Donald Trump after his latest social media post about her, with senior officials saying Italy intends to preserve relations with the United States despite recent tensions between the two leaders.
The latest exchange came ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara, where Trump and Meloni are both expected to attend meetings Tuesday and Wednesday. The summit arrives after several weeks of strained public comments between two leaders who had previously been viewed as political allies.
Trump posted a photo of Meloni on Truth Social showing her looking up at him, adding the caption, “RESTRAINING ORDER NEEDED.”
The post drew attention in Italy and raised questions about whether Meloni would respond during the closely watched NATO gathering. Her office declined to comment on how she would act when she sees Trump in Ankara.
Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Italy had decided not to answer Trump’s remarks publicly and would instead focus on keeping the U.S.-Italy relationship intact regardless of who occupies the White House.
“Trump speaks for himself. We have a U.S. president who loves to provoke, especially on social media. We have decided to stop responding to these remarks,” Tajani told La Stampa newspaper.
Defense Minister Guido Crosetto and other senior government figures took a similar approach when asked about the dispute, signaling that Rome does not plan to turn the matter into a broader diplomatic confrontation.
A source close to Meloni, speaking anonymously, ruled out the possibility that she would snub Trump at the summit. The source said Meloni knows how to manage such moments and would greet Trump “with a smile.”
Meloni had once been one of Trump’s most visible European supporters. She was the only European leader to attend his 2025 inauguration and had sought to build a close working relationship with him, supported by their shared right-wing political outlook.
The relationship began to falter last month after Trump told Italian television channel La7 that Meloni had “begged” him to take a photo with him during a G7 summit in France. Meloni denied the claim and accused Trump of inventing the story.
The dispute widened this year after Meloni criticized Trump over comments he made about Pope Leo following the pontiff’s condemnation of the Iran conflict. Trump later accused Meloni of lacking courage.
After the public disagreement, Italian media speculated that the government might boycott a traditional U.S. Independence Day celebration. Several senior Italian government officials attended the event at the U.S. ambassador’s residence in Rome last week, signaling that official contacts were continuing despite the tensions.
Trump’s latest remarks drew criticism across Italy, including from some opposition parties that expressed solidarity with Meloni.
Il Foglio, an Italian newspaper, responded Tuesday by publishing a front-page photo of Trump with Russian President Vladimir Putin under the same caption Trump used for Meloni: “RESTRAINING ORDER NEEDED.”
The Italian government’s response suggests Meloni’s team is seeking to avoid a public confrontation during the NATO summit while maintaining its broader relationship with Washington.
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