President Donald Trump’s spat with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is already backfiring—and fueling a nationalist backlash in Italy.
Trump has been attacking Meloni, one of his strongest allies in Europe, claiming that she was “begging” to take a picture with him at the G7 Summit in France last week. But in Italy, the remarks are being increasingly viewed not just as a slight to Meloni, but to the whole country itself.
Meloni, until this point, had avoided any harsh criticism of Trump while leading Italy, but responded in a 30-second clip on social media, calling his assertions “completely made-up.”
“I can only say it is disappointing that he does not show the same determination with the enemies of the West and of the United States, whose leaders he instead treats with far greater indulgence,” she said. “There is one thing he should remember: neither I nor Italy ever beg.”
Political experts told the Financial Times that Trump’s digs are uniting Italians across the political spectrum against him. They said that Meloni’s ability to stand up to Trump has been well-received.
“It was an unprovoked attack on her by President Trump and she had to react,” Senator Lucio Malan, the chief whip of Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party, told the outlet. “I think that most Italians approve of the defense of national dignity.”
Giovanni Orsina, a political scientist at Rome’s Luiss University, told the FT, “This attack was personal, implying a lack of dignity. But she does not see this as some petty personal issue.”
“It’s a matter of honor, and honor, for a nationalist, is political,” he added. “It’s as if he slighted the Italian flag somehow.”
After his original comments, Trump also tried to attack her polling, writing on his Truth Social platform, “She is doing poorly in Italy with her level of popularity,” adding, “Now after the United States defeated Iran militarily, she wants to be friends again in order to get her ‘numbers up’. No thanks!!!”
Meloni promptly hit back in an Instagram post, blasting Trump’s “constant, unprovoked attacks” as “senseless.”
“As for my popularity, being your friend certainly has not helped it, nor does it depend on my relationship with you. My popularity depends on my ability to defend Italy’s national interest, and that is exactly what I have always done,” she wrote.
“In any case, my popularity is none of your concern,” she concluded. “I suggest you focus on yours.”
Her public defiance of Trump comes as she has been one of Trump’s strongest allies in Europe. The pair agree on many political items as their political careers have been rooted in right-wing populism
Until now, she had hardly publicly criticized Trump.
Stefano Stefanini, Italy’s former ambassador to NATO, told the FT that pushing back against Trump in this way could actually help Meloni’s popularity.
“Trump is electorally toxic in Europe, even on the right,” Stefanini told the outlet. “Being in an anti-Trump camp now can bring her some electoral benefits.”
Orsina noted that Meloni’s response to Trump’s attacks has overall created a “positive image” for the prime minister, suggesting that it has offered a “silver lining” to a fight she had “desperately tried to avoid”.
“The small woman leader of a way less powerful country that stands up to the bully,” he noted. “That’s a great narrative.”
