Trump escalates feud with Meloni, posting 'restraining order' meme before NATO summit

The meme

On Sunday evening, US President Donald Trump posted a meme on Truth Social showing Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni looking up at him, captioned "Needs a restraining order." The post appeared days before the NATO summit scheduled for July 7–8 in Ankara, where both leaders are expected to attend.

Needs a restraining order.

The Italian government, according to Corriere della Sera, decided not to react "to this provocation." Prime Minister Meloni and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani discussed the strategy overnight, opting to ignore what they view as an unjustified personal attack.

A feud months in the making

Tensions between Washington and Rome have been building since spring 2026, driven by disagreements over Middle East policy, Trump's criticism of Pope Leo XIV, and Italy's reluctance to meet some US demands within NATO. The relationship ruptured on June 19, when Trump told Italian broadcaster La7 that Meloni had "begged" him for a photo at the G7 summit in France and that he only agreed "out of pity."

She begged me to take a picture with her. She wanted a picture with me so badly. I wouldn't have done it, but I felt sorry for her.

Meloni fired back, calling the claims "completely invented" and insisting, "neither I nor Italy ever beg." The diplomatic fallout was immediate: Foreign Minister Tajani canceled a planned visit to the United States set for June 21–22.

The Iran rift

Behind the personal barbs lies a substantive geopolitical dispute. After the US and Israel launched massive strikes on Iran on February 28, Trump repeatedly criticized Italy for refusing to allow American forces to use its airfields during the operations. In a separate Truth Social post, Trump tied Meloni's domestic popularity to her stance on Iran.

She is doing quite poorly in Italy with her popularity level, possibly because she turned her back on the United States of America, a country that truly loves and protects Italy, when it came to preventing Iran from obtaining or developing a nuclear weapon (but NATO did the same, by the way!).

Reactions and the NATO backdrop

Italian opposition leader Carlo Calenda of the Azione party expressed solidarity with Meloni, writing on X, "Trump is a petty and despicable bully. Full solidarity with the prime minister." The meme landed just as NATO leaders prepare to gather in Ankara to discuss European security, adding a layer of personal animosity to an already fraught alliance dynamic.

Trump is a petty and despicable bully. Full solidarity with the prime minister.

Separately, Trump also shared a doctored image of former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama boarding Air Force One, with the aircraft covered in graffiti including "Yes We Can," "BLM," and the Arabic phrase "alhamdulillah."