Tensions between Washington and Rome continue to escalate, as US President Donald Trump once again launched an attack on Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
In an interview with Fox News today, Trump made the breakdown in relations unmistakably clear: “With Giorgia Meloni, we had a great relationship, but that’s no longer the case. We don’t have the relationship we once had.”
He then openly criticised Rome’s recent decisions, adding: “I’m disappointed in Meloni. Italy should have been with us,but she chose not to be.”
The remarks were widely interpreted as a reference to Italy’s decision to distance itself from the US- and Israeli-led strike against Iran and Lebanon, as well as its refusal to make its military bases available for US operations.
Trump’s comments mark the latest step in a steady deterioration of ties between the US administration and the Italian Government. The two leaders had long been viewed as politically aligned, with Meloni seeking to position herself as a bridge between Washington and European capitals at a time of mounting transatlantic strain.
Leveraging her ideological proximity to the MAGA movement, the Italian Prime Minister had cultivated a personal relationship with Trump aimed at facilitating dialogue and co-ordination. That relationship now appears significantly weakened.
The rift became more visible in the aftermath of the Iran crisis, which Rome declined to support, and deepened further following Trump’s verbal attack on Pope Leo XIV, remarks that Meloni publicly described as “unacceptable”.
The exchange contributed to an increasingly strained political and personal dynamic between the two leaders.
In the days leading up to the latest interview, Trump had already sharpened his tone, stating that he was “shocked” by Meloni’s behaviour and that he had “been wrong about her”, underscoring a growing sense of frustration within his camp.
Taken together, Trump’s latest remarks appear less as an isolated outburst and more as the clearest signal yet of a broader and deepening rupture.
They represent the tip of the iceberg of a widening transatlantic divide, reflecting not only personal tensions between two once-aligned leaders but also a shifting geopolitical landscape in which European allies, including Italy, are increasingly recalibrating their positions vis-à-vis Washington.
