'She's a nice person but made a mistake': Trump says ties with Meloni 'soured' over Iran war

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is a "nice person" but made a mistake by not supporting the United States during its conflict with Iran, according to U.S. President Donald Trump. He told reporters that Meloni's refusal to get involved "soured my relationship with her a little bit."

The diplomatic rift between the two leaders, once considered close allies, has deepened over several incidents. The dispute began in March when Italy denied U.S. military aircraft permission to land at the Sigonella air base in Sicily, citing a lack of prior authorization from Rome. Relations further deteriorated last month when Trump claimed Meloni had "begged" him for a photograph at a G7 summit, a claim the Italian premier denied.

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She refused to get involved, so it soured my relationship with her a little bit. But I like her. I think she's a nice person, actually. But I think she made a mistake.

Meloni has also publicly criticized Trump for attacking Pope Leo after the pontiff condemned the Iran war. Trump, in turn, rebuked her for not supporting efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. These fresh remarks come after Trump shared a Truth Social post featuring a photo of Meloni with the caption, "RESTRAINING ORDER NEEDED," reigniting tensions ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara.

The Italian government has opted not to respond publicly to Trump's latest comments, with Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani stating they would not "respond to these remarks" to avoid inflaming tensions and damaging bilateral relations. A source close to Meloni indicated she would likely greet Trump with a smile at the summit.

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Trump speaks for himself. We have a US president who loves to provoke, especially on social media. We have decided to stop responding to these remarks.