In a striking public rebuke, former U.S. President Donald Trump criticized Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, accusing her of lacking courage and disappointing Washington. Speaking to an Italian newspaper on Tuesday, Trump expressed his disillusionment with Meloni, who had previously been one of his most vocal European supporters.
Meloni distanced herself from Trump following his February conflict with Iran and openly condemned his verbal attack on Pope Leo, calling it “unacceptable”. In response, Trump told Corriere della Sera that Meloni was “very different from what I thought” and criticized her refusal to assist in reopening the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has blocked.
“I’m shocked by her. I thought she had courage. I was wrong,” Trump stated in the Italian-language interview. The White House and Meloni’s office both declined to comment on the remarks. However, politicians across the spectrum rallied to Meloni’s defense, including Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, leader of the Forza Italia party within her coalition.
Tajani emphasized, “We are, and will remain, sincere supporters of Western unity and steadfast allies of the United States, but that unity is built on loyalty, respect and mutual frankness.” He praised Meloni for standing against Trump’s attack on the pope, adding, “On Pope Leo XIV, she said exactly what all of us Italian citizens think.”
Trump’s sharp criticism represents a significant shift in his tone toward Meloni. She was the only European leader to attend his 2025 inauguration and had been hailed by him as “a great leader” just a month prior. On Tuesday, Trump accused her of failing to support U.S. efforts to address Iran’s nuclear ambitions and secure energy routes through the Gulf, claiming she expected America “to do the job for her.” When questioned about her condemnation of his remarks on Pope Leo, Trump retorted, “She is the one who is unacceptable, because she does not care whether Iran has a nuclear weapon and would blow Italy up in two minutes if it had the chance.”
This reprimand comes amid a challenging period for Meloni, who suffered a defeat in a crucial judicial reform referendum in March and witnessed the ousting of her political ally Viktor Orban in Hungary. The ongoing U.S.-Israeli conflict in the Gulf has further complicated matters, driving up energy costs and stirring widespread discontent in Italy, placing Meloni at odds with Trump.
In an effort to distance Italy from the conflict, Meloni declined to allow U.S. fighter jets to use a Sicilian airbase for operations against Iran last month and recently suspended a military cooperation agreement with Israel. Trump criticized Italy’s reliance on imported oil and gas, stating that soaring energy prices should have motivated the country to support reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
“They pay the highest energy costs in the world and are not even ready to fight for the Strait of Hormuz… They depend on Donald Trump to keep it open,” Trump asserted.
