Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s top ministers on Monday sought to contain the fallout from her escalating public feud with U.S. President Donald Trump, after he shared a Truth Social meme attacking the Italian leader.
“We are convinced that transatlantic relations go far beyond individual statements,” Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Sky TG24. “I didn’t react at all [to the meme]; the key thing is to maintain relations with a vital ally like the U.S.,” Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto stressed, while Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said he “won’t comment on these things anymore.”
Trump posted a photo of Meloni late Sunday, joking that he would need a restraining order against the Italian leader. The public trolling followed an awkward meeting between the two leaders at the June G7 summit in Evian, France, after which Trump said Meloni had “begged” him for a photo. “I wouldn’t have taken it, but I felt sorry for her,” he maintained.
Meloni quickly countered that Trump’s story was “completely made up,” saying “Italy and I never beg.”
The U.S. leader’s latest broadside comes on the eve of NATO’s Ankara summit, where he is expected to meet Meloni in person on July 7. Tajani stressed that “there is no problem” between the two governments, adding that they are “continuing to build on these very important political relations, regardless of a few statements.”