‘People come and go’ – Italy slams Trump after latest jibe at Meloni

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Italy on Monday criticised US President Donald Trump’s latest social media attack on Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni ahead of this week’s NATO summit.

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Trump on Sunday published a doctored image on his Truth Social platform showing Meloni looking at him as if adoringly in a post accompanied by the words: “Restraining Order Needed”.

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“People come and go but relations must endure,” Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto told the news channel Sky TG24.

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Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani also said he was “sure that transatlantic relations go well beyond individual comments”.

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Meloni did not respond personally.

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She was targeted by Trump last month after the G7 summit where he said that Meloni had “begged” him for a photo opportunity and that he only agreed because he “felt sorry for her”.

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He also accused Meloni of trying to repair relations with Washington for domestic political reasons after Italy failed to support US action against Iran.

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“These constant, unprovoked attacks are senseless”, she said at the time.

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“Being your friend certainly has not helped” her popularity, she said, adding: “I suggest you focus on yours”.

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Far-right leader Meloni had positioned herself as a European leader able to mediate between Europe and Trump but has increasingly distanced herself from him.

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Trump has been highly critical of European NATO countries ahead of this week’s meeting in Ankara of the 32-country alliance.

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