Former President Donald Trump reignited his public dispute with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni over the weekend, posting a meme that suggested she is an obsessive “stalker” and requires a “restraining order.” The move comes ahead of a potential meeting between the two leaders at an upcoming NATO summit.
On Sunday, Trump shared an image on social media depicting Meloni gazing upward at him with a caption reading, “Restraining order needed.” This incident follows a heated exchange last month after the G7 summit in France.
Earlier, Trump had made critical remarks about Meloni in an interview with Italian broadcaster La7. He stated, “She’s probably happy I talked to her. She wanted a photo with me so much. I wouldn’t have even done it, but I felt sorry for her.”
Meloni responded to Trump’s comments by expressing her dismay and calling his account of events “fabricated.” The Italian Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani, subsequently canceled a planned visit to the United States in reaction to the dispute.
"I don’t know why the president of the United States behaves this way towards his allies; after all, it’s not the first time it’s happened," Meloni stated in a social media post. "I can only say it’s a pity that he doesn’t show the same determination with the enemies of the West, with the enemies of the United States.”
Trump later attributed his conflict with Meloni to Italy’s refusal to allow American bombers to use the Naval Air Station Sigonella, located in Sicily, for bombing operations in Iran. Meloni countered that Italian bases operate under agreements that are consistently respected and cannot be violated while she is prime minister.
Trump and Meloni are expected to encounter each other at the upcoming NATO leaders' summit in Ankara, Turkey. Previously, the two leaders were seen as having aligned views, particularly on immigration policy. Meloni, 49, was notably the only European leader to attend Trump's inauguration in January of the previous year.