President Donald Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni
Italy’s deputy prime minister and defense minister have urged peace after US President Donald Trump posted a mocking photo of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Truth Social, saying transatlantic relations go deeper than public disputes.Trump on Sunday posted a photo of Meloni looking at him with the caption “Control order needed”, rekindling the controversy that began last month when he told an Italian TV channel that Meloni had “begged” him for a photo at the G7 summit. Meloni denied the claim.“I have no reaction. The basic thing is to maintain relations with a major ally like the United States,” Defense Minister Guido Crosetto told Italy’s Sky TV. “People come and go but relationships endure.”Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani made similar comments, saying that individual statements would not weaken transatlantic relations.“From the beginning, we said we would not respond to such statements, so let’s move on. We are convinced that transatlantic relations go far beyond individual statements.”
The opposition called Trump a ‘despicable scoundrel’
Opposition politicians were less restrained. Carlo Calenda, leader of the small Azion party, expressed his support for Meloni, writing on Twitter: “Trump is a disgusting, cheap scoundrel.”Meloni was once a vocal supporter of Trump and was the only European leader to attend his inauguration in 2025. However, he criticized Pope Leo for attacking him over his condemnation of the Iran conflict earlier this year, drawing a sharp rebuke from Trump, who accused him of lacking courage.The exchange comes as the two leaders are scheduled to attend the NATO summit in Türkiye this week. Meloni has not yet responded to Trump’s latest post.