President Donald Trump’s bizarre Truth Social post about Giorgia Meloni has pushed Italian authorities to the limit.
The president, 80, suddenly sparked a feud with his former staunch ally in June when he claimed she had “begged” him for a photo at the G7 summit in France.
The Italian prime minister, 49, shot back, claiming that catty Trump dreamt up the scenario. The president, who has a history of frosty barbs aimed at women, then amped up the quarrel, sharing an image of Meloni gazing at him with the words “RESTRAINING ORDER NEEDED” written on it.
Now, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has said Meloni and other Italian officials plan to ignore Trump’s mean girl missives. Trump “speaks for himself,” the deputy prime minister said.
“We have a U.S. President who loves to provoke, especially on social media. We have decided to stop responding to these remarks so as not to fuel disputes among our allies,” he told La Stampa newspaper.
“We are and will remain friends of the United States as our strategic partner and that of Europe,” he added, à la Michelle Obama and her “when they go low, we go high” style.
Tajani’s response comes as Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken told Politico that while the European right “needs” Trump as an ally, he should scale back his attacks on Meloni. “Of course we need him as an ally, but don’t touch Meloni. She’s the queen of center-right in Europe. She’s the alpha. Leave her alone,” the Flemish nationalist minister said.
It is unclear why Trump initially attacked Meloni, claiming she was desperate for a photo, but it came at a time of ongoing disdain for allies that had refused to back Trump’s war in Iran.
“She’s probably happy I talked to her. I didn’t have to talk to her,” Trump told Italian broadcaster La7. “She begged me to take a picture with her. She wanted a picture with me so badly. I wouldn’t have taken it, but I felt sorry for her.”
Meloni denounced Trump’s claims shortly after in a social media video, saying in Italian that she was “astonished” by the president’s “completely made-up” statements.
In response, the president launched a Truth Social tirade against his former “friend,” saying she was “doing poorly in Italy with her level of popularity,” and blasting Italy’s reaction to his war on Iran.
Meloni fired back quickly on Instagram, saying, “My popularity is none of your concern.” She concluded: “I suggest you focus on yours.”
The dust-up follows a background of mutual appreciation between the two right-wing populists. Trump even creepily referred to Meloni as a “beautiful young woman” during discussions about a possible Gaza peace deal in October.
The leaders are attending a NATO summit in the Turkish capital, Ankara, on Tuesday.
