Italia v USA

Donald and Giorgia: from a special relationship to all-out conflict

The exchange between Trump and Meloni following the G7 summit in Evian is merely the latest chapter in the deterioration of what was once a solid relationship

by Pietro Menzani

19 June 2026

Donald Trump, Giorgia Meloni ed Emmanuel Macron al G7 di Evian-les-Bains, Francia, 16 giugno 2026. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein REUTERS

4' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Key points

‘An exceptional person’
Trump’s inauguration and the G7 summit in Canada
The fracture

4' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

“Those statements by Donald Trump are completely fabricated; I am frankly stunned. I don’t know why the President of the United States behaves like this towards his allies; after all, this isn’t the first time it’s happened.” It was with these words that Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni responded to the attack levelled at her by the US President, who accused her of having begged him to take a photo with her and of having agreed to it out of ‘pity’. The exchange, which took place after the G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains, France, is the latest chapter in the deterioration of relations between the two, which – particularly in the early months of Trump’s second term – had seemed more solid than ever.

‘An exceptional person’

A year ago, when welcoming her to the White House, Trump described Meloni as ‘an exceptional person, one of the world’s true leaders’. It was the high point of the ‘very special relationship’, as it was known in Washington.

Furthermore, following the meeting at the Élysée Palace on 8 December 2024, on the sidelines of the reopening of Notre Dame – when he was president-elect but not yet in office – Trump stated that ‘Meloni is full of energy, she’s fantastic’. And on4 January 2025, the Prime Minister flew to Florida and attended a dinner at the US President’s residence; he was impressed by a leader who ‘has truly taken Europe by storm’.

Just a few days later, the White House tenant added: ‘The other leaders have shown great respect for our country. Meloni flew all the way here for just a few hours simply to see me.”

Trump’s inauguration and the G7 summit in Canada

On 19 January 2025, Meloni was the only European Union government leader on Capitol Hill for Trump’s inauguration; on 24 January in Davos, he suggested that his personal relationship with the Prime Minister (‘I like her very much, let’s see what happens”) might be worth an exemption from tariffs imposed on a European Union that “treats us very badly”.

The Prime Minister was received in Washington on 17 April and invited Trump to Italia with a view to organising a meeting with Europe. The US President commented on social media that ‘Meloni loves her country and the impression she made on everyone was fantastic!!!’. And, as soon as she returned to Rome, the Prime Minister met with Vice-President JD Vance.

At Pope Francis’s funeral, relations between the two appeared even stronger, and Meloni and Trump had a brief conversation at the Vatican. A few weeks later, the Prime Minister described her ally as “courageous, outspoken and determined”, a leader “who defends his national interests”, whilst also claiming to be able to speak to him frankly: “We understand each other well even when we disagree”.

During the G7 summit in Canada, the two spoke at length on a wooden bench at the Kananaskis resort, alone and without staff, before the dinner that paved the way for the statement on the Israel-Iran crisis. Meloni then returned to Washington on 17 August, along with the other leaders summoned by Trump for the meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky. The host described her as “a great leader, an inspiration to many”, who “despite her young age has been in power for a long time; others do not last as long as she does”.

During a press conference in early 2026, Meloni reiterated that when she disagrees with Trump, she does not hesitate to tell him so. She asked him to reconsider the composition of the Board of Peace for Gaza, or Italia would merely be an ‘observer’. And on 23 January, she expressed her hope of being able to nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize. On 8 March, the tycoon spoke again about the Prime Minister, who continues to be “an excellent leader and a friend of mine”, a partner who “always tries to help”.

The fracture

The rift between Trump and Meloni came to a head on 15 April, after the Italian Prime Minister had described his remarks about Pope Leo XIV – whom he had labelled ‘weak’ in foreign policy – as ‘unacceptable’. The US president’s response came in an interview with *Corriere della Sera*, in which he directly attacked Meloni for her lack of support for the offensive in the Strait of Hormuz: “I thought she was different; she’s not the same person anymore. She doesn’t care if Iran has a nuclear weapon and would blow Italia to smithereens in two minutes if it had the chance.” Just a few days later, the White House occupant doubled down on Fox News: “Our relationship is no longer the same.”

The last official meeting between the two took place at the G7 summit in Evian from 15 to 17 June. “There were no recriminations; we talked about what had happened,” Meloni told the press, “in the end, everyone understands the other’s point of view, so we moved on to discussing what can be done in the coming months.” Images from Evian show Trump and Meloni standing close together: the media began to talk of a thaw, but these interpretations came crashing down on the morning of 19 June, with the phone call revealed by L’Aria che Tira in which Trump directly attacked the Prime Minister. The rift between the two leaders still seems far from being bridged.