Published Jun 22, 2026, 2:37 PM EDT
The leaders' once-close alliance faces strain as the European nation challenges US and Israeli policies amid the Middle East conflict.
President Donald Trump once praised Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni as a leader who had “really taken Europe by storm.” Meloni had flown to Mar-a-Lago in January 2025 for a brief visit before Trump returned to office, a trip Italian and European outlets treated as a sign that she could become one of Washington’s closest European interlocutors. That relationship now looks markedly more strained. Over the past several months, Meloni has criticized Trump’s comments about Pope Leo XIV, denied at least one U.S. request involving Naval Air Station Sigonella in Sicily, and moved to suspend the automatic renewal of a defense cooperation agreement with Israel. Dockworkers and unions have also increased pressure inside Italy by opposing shipments tied to Israel through Italian ports. Trump’s early praise for Meloni helped reinforce her image as one of the few European leaders with a direct line to his political circle. During the January 2025 Mar-a-Lago visit, incoming Secretary of State Marco Rubio reportedly called Meloni a “great ally” and “strong leader." The public tone changed after Trump attacked Pope Leo XIV over the pope’s criticism of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran. Trump called the pope “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy” in a Truth Social post, and claimed Leo was elected because he was American.
