Meloni, Trump trade fresh barbs as Italy-US row persists

ROME: A public spat between Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and US President Donald Trump continued on Saturday, with both leaders exchanging new criticism after an earlier dispute over remarks made following this week’s Group of Seven summit in France.

The latest round came after Meloni had accused Trump on Friday of lying when he said she had ‘begged’ him for a photograph during the summit. Trump repeated the claim on Saturday in a post on his Truth Social platform, where he also misspelled her first name as Gigiorgia and said she was trying to repair ties with Washington to improve her standing at home.

Trump wrote, "Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni asked, over and over, for a picture with me during the G-7 meeting in France."

He also argued that Meloni’s popularity was falling and suggested this was linked to her refusal to help the United States in its conflict against Iran.

Meloni responded on Instagram in English, calling Trump’s repeated attacks unjustified. She said: "President Trump, these constant, unprovoked attacks are senseless." She then added: "My popularity is none of your concern" and followed that with: "I suggest you focus on yours."

Addressing Trump’s comments further, Italy’s first female prime minister said on Saturday that being seen as his friend had not helped her politically. She also answered his criticism over Italy’s stance on the use of US military bases during the war with Iran, which the United States and Israel began at the end of February.

Trump had repeated his earlier complaint that Rome had not permitted the use of US bases in Italy for that conflict. In response, Meloni said the use of such facilities was regulated by existing agreements that Italy had always respected and could not breach. She stated, "Their use is governed by agreements that we have always respected and that cannot be violated. As long as I am prime minister, Italy remains a sovereign nation."

Approval ratings cited by both sides

The exchange also drew attention to the domestic political standing of both leaders. Meloni’s government, which entered office in 2022, has recorded an increase in public approval to about 35% in opinion surveys after a steady decline during 2025. Her Brothers of Italy party is leading polling at roughly 28%, ahead of the opposition Democratic Party on around 22%.

Trump, who returned to office in January 2025, saw his approval rating rise by one percentage point in recent days to 36%. The survey said that figure remained close to the weakest ratings of his political career, even as public concern over the cost of living had eased somewhat.