Understanding the spat between Meloni and Trump The beginning of a rift between political ideologies?

Trump, in an interview given to the Corriere della Sera, used very harsh tones to comment on Giorgia Meloni's handling of the energy crisis caused by the war in Iran. «I am shocked by her. I thought she had courage, I was wrong», Trump said. This is a rather significant development, especially considering that Meloni had long presented herself, within the context of European institutions, as the interlocutor closest to the US president, also due to a certain political alignment. This positioning had allowed her to play - at least in part and in theory—a coordinating role on various shared issues between Europe and the United States. Now this is no longer the case.

In recent weeks, Meloni had turned her back on Trump several times: she had ruled out Italy’s participation in potential military operations aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz, as requested by the US president—the passage is essential for the trade of oil and natural gas leaving the Persian Gulf, and has been largely blocked by Iran as retaliation for the conflict. Moreover, at the beginning of April the Italian government had denied the United States the use of the Sigonella base, in Sicily, for the transit of two military aircraft headed toward the Middle East.

How the clash between Trump and Meloni began

Trump has long been adopting an increasingly aggressive rhetoric toward the European Union, going so far as to issue rather serious threats. The US president has not even spared Pope Leo XIV, whom he recently described as «weak» in condemning crimes and «terrible» in foreign policy. Meloni, for her part, had deemed these criticisms «unacceptable», and Trump - speaking with the Corriere della Sera - then replied: «She is the one who is unacceptable, because she does not care whether Iran has a nuclear weapon».

When a year ago Meloni had gone on a visit to the White House, at the height of the potential global trade crisis caused by Trump’s controversial tariffs, the US president had instead paid her many compliments, emphasizing their political closeness - thus offering her a not insignificant international recognition. At that moment, Meloni was the first European leader to be received at the White House since Trump had launched the trade war, which by contrast also demonstrates how the United States regards Italy: an important country but not decisive for international relations, and no longer as economically relevant at a global level as it once was; for this reason as well, Trump knows he can afford to criticize the country more or less harshly and without too many consequences.

What the consequences have been

The initial alignment between Trump and Meloni was nevertheless becoming a problem for Italy, especially regarding the country’s international positioning. For this reason as well, the Prime Minister had gradually tried to distance herself from Trump’s most controversial statements, albeit cautiously. In the interview with the Corriere della Sera, he himself pointed out that he has not had contact with Meloni for some time, even suggesting that Italy has in some way drifted away from the United States.

What remains is that Trump’s recent statements against Meloni have had the effect of consolidating the Italian political landscape. Several institutional figures have expressed support for the Prime Minister, not only among governing forces but also among opposition parties - the leader of the Italian left Elly Schlein, for example, spoke of a «firm condemnation» of Trump.