US President Donald Trump has sharply criticized Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the "Corriere della Sera" and ANSA newspapers reported, quoted by BTA.
"Giorgia Meloni does not want to help us in the war," Trump said in a telephone interview with "Corriere della Sera." He was referring to the war in Iran and the fact that Meloni has stated several times that Italy does not want to be involved in this conflict. Meloni did not respond to Trump's call to participate in securing the Strait of Hormuz while hostilities are taking place in the region. Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto did not allow access for American fighter jets to a military base in Sicily, from where they can launch strike missions against Iran, the media recall.
In the interview with “Corriere della Sera“ Trump said that he had not spoken to Meloni for some time, who was considered close to him. Trump explained that he had not spoken to Meloni because “she does not want to help us with NATO, she does not want to help us get rid of (Iran's) nuclear weapons“.
“She is very different from what I thought“, Trump also said of Meloni.
These criticisms were showered on Meloni's head just a month after in another interview with “Corriere della Sera“ Trump praised Meloni and called her a “friend“ and a “great leader“ who “always tries to help“. These words were then spoken after Meloni sent a combat frigate near Cyprus, as Cyprus became an indirect victim of the conflict in Iran, ANSA recalls.
“This is not the same person anymore and Italy will not be the same country that it was“, the American president now noted in an interview with “Corriere della Sera“, referring to the Italian leader.
“Do you like the fact that your Prime Minister does nothing to get oil?“, Trump also said, addressing the Italians directly. “Do the people like that? I can't imagine. I'm shocked by her. I thought she was brave, but I was wrong“, Trump said, completely ignoring the fact that Meloni was the first leader of an EU, NATO and G-7 member state to visit the Gulf region in at a time when fighting was taking place there and she spoke there specifically about energy supplies to Italy. Meloni had previously visited Algeria for this purpose, to guarantee an increase in natural gas and oil supplies to Italy amid the halted supplies from the Gulf.
"Meloni is behaving unacceptably because she doesn't care if Iran has a nuclear weapon and if Iran would blow up Italy in two minutes if it had the opportunity", Trump also said in a telephone conversation with “Corriere della Sera“.
This outburst of anger followed three statements by Meloni in which she criticized Trump for his criticism of Pope Leo XIV.
Eli Schlein, the leader of the Democratic Party of Italy, has now sided with Meloni. "I strongly condemn President Trump's attack on Prime Minister Meloni, who, as befits, expressed solidarity with Pope Leo XIV“, Schlein said. She reminded that she and Meloni are political opponents, but added that all Italian citizens will not accept attacks or threats against the Italian government.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani immediately spoke in support of Meloni.
„We are and remain sincere supporters of the unity of the West and firm allies of the United States, but this unity is built with loyalty, respect and mutual frankness. We are used to saying what we think, because that is what serious people do. Until today, President Trump considered Giorgia Meloni a brave person. And he was not wrong, because she is a woman who never hides what she thinks. And about Pope Leo XIV, she said exactly what all of us, Italian citizens, think. The Prime Minister, together with the government, defend and will always defend only the interests of Italy“, Tajani emphasized in Ex.
In the interview for “Corriere della Sera“ Trump once again attacked the Pope. He accused him of having no idea what was happening in Iran and what the Iranian nuclear threat was. Trump said that the Pope did not understand that the regime in Iran had killed 42,000 protesters in the past month.
Trump also mentioned the defeat of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in the parliamentary elections in Hungary. He said that Orbán was his friend. “This was not my election, but he was my friend, a brave man who did a good job on immigration. He did not let people come and destroy his country like Italy did“, Trump said.
He then added that “immigration is killing Italy and all of Europe“. “Europe is destroying itself from within with its immigration policies and its energy policies“, Trump also said. “In Europe, they pay the highest prices for energy and they are not even willing to fight for the Strait of Hormuz, where they get this energy“, Trump said. “In Europe, people depend on Donald Trump because he keeps the Strait of Hormuz open“, Trump added.
Trump has always praised Meloni in the past. His criticism came a year after Meloni was on his first official visit to the White House, the quoted Italian media noted.