Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said her popularity is none of Donald Trump's business and advised the US president to think about his own.
“As for my popularity, being your friend has not helped it and it does not depend on my relationship with you, but on my ability to defend national interests. In any case, my popularity is none of your business. I advise you to focus on yours“, Meloni wrote on Instagram (banned in Russia, owned by Meta Corporation, which is considered extremist in Russia) in response to Trump's post on Truth Social. In it, the American leader accused her of ungratefulness for refusing to support the US military operation against Iran and for trying to secure a joint photo at the G7 summit in France to boost his own approval ratings.
He also touched on the issue of denying US aircraft access to bases in Italy during the operation against Iran. Meloni responded by clarifying that the use of the bases is regulated by existing agreements that Rome has always respected. “These unprovoked attacks are senseless“, Meloni wrote.
The current skirmish marks another escalation in the rift between the two leaders. The US president had previously accused Meloni, like all European leaders, of unwillingness to help “with Iran and the Strait of Hormuz“. Tensions escalated further when the Italian prime minister publicly defended Pope Leo XIV, calling the US leader's remarks unacceptable to him. Meloni had previously avoided criticizing Trump, whom she suggested nominating for the Nobel Peace Prize. Within the EU, the Italian prime minister was considered one of the closest European leaders to the US president, for which she was criticized.