There's no time like the eve of the major annual NATO summit for Trump to reignite his longstanding feud with Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni, apparently. The American President blasted out the below Truth Social just before heading to Ankara, Turkey for the gathering of NATO heads...
The doctored image featuring the caption "Restraining order needed" marks but the latest escalation between to the two leaders. Meloni has not responded or commented directly regarding the Truth Social Post, and is unlikely to given that Italy likely wants to avoid escalation.
"People come and go but relations must endure," Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto remarked on the prime minister still being in Trump's crosshairs to news channel Sky TG24. And Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani tried to brush it off while presenting an optimistic picture of future relations, saying he was "sure that transatlantic relations go well beyond individual comments."
This new post follows on another Truth Social post from June, in which Trump accused the Italian PM of asking for a picture with him "over and over" at the G7 Summit in France.
At heart of the feud is Italy's breaking with Trump over his Iran operation. This has included denying shared base usage for American military flights connected with Operation Epic Fury.
Trump had claimed earlier in the summer of Meloni, "She is doing poorly in Italy with her level of popularity, possibly because she turned down the United States of America, a Country that truly loves and protects Italy, when it came to denying Iran from obtaining or developing a Nuclear Weapon."
He then suggested that Meloni wanted to be "friends again" to get her "numbers up" - but has appeared to stipulate that she must fully open up Italian bases for US aircraft usage once again.
Meloni in response to the prior June post slammed the US president for his "senseless" and "constant, unprovoked attacks".
"As for my popularity, being your friend has certainly not helped it, nor does it depend on my relationship with you," she shot back. "My popularity is none of your concern. I suggest you focus on yours."
All of this could serve to make any close-quarter contact at the NATO summit in Ankara very awkward - also as the two will certainly be in the same general vicinity for events like the group photo.