Trump Escalates Attack on Meloni as Diplomatic Rift Over Iran and Pope Deepens

U.S. President Donald Trump escalated his public criticism of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Wednesday, declaring in a Fox News interview that their relationship was "no longer the same" after Rome refused to support Washington's military campaign against Iran. Trump described Meloni as "negative" and warned that Italy depends on large quantities of oil flowing through the Strait of Hormuz, a remark widely interpreted as a veiled economic threat. The remarks followed a separate interview Trump gave to Corriere della Sera, in which he said he was "shocked" by Meloni and admitted he had been "wrong" about her courage. The rupture marks a dramatic reversal for a relationship that had been one of the closest between Washington and a European capital since Trump returned to the White House in January 2025.

Pope defense and Iran war refusal drove the split The immediate trigger for the falling-out was twofold: Meloni's refusal to assist the United States in managing the military situation with Iran, and her public defense of Pope Leo XIV after Trump attacked the Pontiff for calling for peace. Meloni called Trump's words against the Pope "unacceptable," prompting Trump to respond: "It is she who is unacceptable." According to reporting by ANSA, Palazzo Chigi had anticipated some form of reaction from Washington but was caught off guard by the harshness of Trump's language. Sources close to the Italian government noted that no official contact between Trump and Meloni had been recorded since the start of the new war in the Gulf. Italy also announced the suspension of the automatic renewal of its bilateral defense agreement with Israel, citing Israeli attacks in Lebanon — a move that placed Rome in open tension with both Washington and Tel Aviv simultaneously. A survey by Noto pollsters, cited by ANSA, found that 81 (percent) — Italians supporting Meloni's defense of the Pope, suggesting the premier calculated the domestic political cost of silence would outweigh the diplomatic fallout.

Italy and the United States have maintained close bilateral ties within the NATO framework for decades. Meloni, who took office in October 2022 as Italy's first female prime minister, had cultivated a notably warm relationship with Trump following his return to power, positioning herself as one of his most reliable European interlocutors. The current dispute erupted against the backdrop of the U.S.-Israel military campaign against Iran, which began on February 28, 2026, and has reshaped alliance dynamics across Europe. Italy's suspension of its defense agreement renewal with Israel marked a further signal of Rome's shifting posture in the Middle East conflict.

Italian opposition unites behind Meloni, with caveats The attack from Washington produced a rare moment of cross-party solidarity in Rome, though not without political undercurrents. Elly Schlein, secretary of the Democratic Party, issued a firm condemnation of Trump's interference, stating that no foreign head of state could address Italy "with this grave lack of respect." Schlein was careful to frame her solidarity around Meloni's defense of the Pope rather than a broader endorsement of the government's foreign policy. Giuseppe Conte, president of the Five Star Movement, condemned Trump's attack but also used the moment to criticize the government, arguing that years of what he called "ambiguity" toward American policy had finally "come to a head." Pina Picierno, vice-president of the European Parliament and a PD member, described Trump's behavior as a sign of "grave crisis" in American democracy and called his approach a confusion of "international cooperation with vassalage."

„No foreign head of state can address our country and our Government with this grave lack of respect. We are political adversaries but we do not accept attacks or threats from the governments of other countries.” — Elly Schlein via ANSA

„Donald Trump confuses the concept of international cooperation with that of vassalage and the rule of law with sovereignist mercantilism. Italy and Europe will know how to respond appropriately in a cohesive and compact manner.” — Pina Picierno via ANSA

Spain's Vox breaks with Trump to back Meloni The dispute also drew a notable response from Spain, where the far-right party Vox broke with its usual alignment with Trump to side with the Italian prime minister. Pepa Millán, Vox's parliamentary spokesperson in the Congress of Deputies, described Meloni as "one of the bravest politicians there is, I would say in the whole world," and called Trump's recent moves "hardly understandable." Millán also defended Pope Leo XIV, arguing that the Pope's mission was not "to submit to any politician" and that politicians had no business trying to control the Church. The episode illustrated the widening fractures within the international populist right, which had largely coalesced around Trump since his return to power. Meanwhile, U.S. Vice President JD Vance added to the Vatican tensions by publicly questioning the Pope's theological framing of the Iran war during an interview with Turning Point USA, asking whether God had not been "on the side of the Americans" who liberated Nazi concentration camps — and urging the Pope to be "careful when he speaks about theological issues." Trump separately posted a photograph on social media depicting himself as Jesus Christ healing a sick person, a gesture that drew widespread commentary across European political circles.

„Giorgia Meloni is one of the bravest politicians there is, I would say in the whole world. She has proven it.” — Pepa Millán via El Mundo

„The mission of the Pope is not to submit to any politician. The Pope and the Church are there for other things and politicians do not have to control them.” — Pepa Millán via ABC