Italian Ministers Move to Contain Trump-Meloni Feud Before July 7 NATO Meeting
Updated
Updated · POLITICO Europe · Jul 6
Italian Ministers Move to Contain Trump-Meloni Feud Before July 7 NATO Meeting
3 articles · Updated · POLITICO Europe · Jul 6
Summary
Antonio Tajani, Guido Crosetto and Matteo Salvini on Monday played down Donald Trump’s meme mocking Giorgia Meloni, stressing that Italy’s ties with the U.S. outweigh personal attacks.
Trump posted the image late Sunday on Truth Social, joking he needed a restraining order against Meloni and deepening a spat that flared after their awkward June G7 encounter in Evian.
That clash escalated when Trump said Meloni had “begged” him for a photo and he took it out of pity; Meloni replied the account was “completely made up” and said “Italy and I never beg.”
July 7 now looms as the next test: Trump and Meloni are expected to meet in person at NATO’s Ankara summit, while Rome insists there is “no problem” between the two governments.