American President Donald Trump harshly criticized Giorgia Meloni, the Prime Minister of Italy, in an interview, for not supporting the US in the Middle East war, accusing her of having no idea about what is happening in Iran.
Donald Trump stated on Tuesday, in an interview for the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni „does not want to help the US get rid of nuclear weapons.” This comes after Italy refused to comply with Trump’s request to participate in the blockade in the Strait of Hormuz and also refused to allow US military planes to land at the base in Sicily two weeks ago.
Additionally, Giorgia Meloni stated on Tuesday that her government has suspended a defense cooperation agreement with Israel, reflecting the strained relations between previously close allies amid ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, as reported by Reuters. Meloni's right-wing government has been one of Israel's closest friends in Europe, but in recent weeks, it has criticized Israel's attacks on Lebanon, which have killed hundreds and injured thousands.
"Do you Italians like the fact that your prime minister is doing nothing to get oil? Do people like her? I can't imagine. I'm shocked by her. I thought she was brave, but I was wrong," Trump asked at the beginning of the phone interview, just before posing the first question.
When asked if he had discussed these issues with Meloni, Trump replied: "No. She just says that Italy does not want to get involved. Even though Italy gets its oil from there, even though America is very important to Italy. She doesn't believe Italy should get involved. She thinks America should do the job in her place."
In the slightly over six-minute interview, Trump strongly criticized Meloni, whom he himself had called a friend and "a great leader" who "always tries to help" in another interview given to the Corriere della Sera newspaper a month ago. "She is no longer the same person, and Italy will never be the same country again. Immigration is killing Italy and the whole of Europe," said the US president.
Trump reiterated that Europe is "destroying itself from within" with its immigration and energy policies. "They have the highest energy costs in the world and are not even willing to fight for the Strait of Hormuz, from where they obtain it. They depend on Donald Trump to keep it open," stated the White House leader.
In January 2025, Meloni visited Trump at Mar-a-Lago before his inauguration on January 20. "It's very exciting! I'm here with a fantastic woman, the Prime Minister of Italy. She has truly conquered Europe," Trump said back then.
Giorgia Meloni, the Prime Minister of Italy, considered one of Donald Trump's main allies in Europe, stated at the beginning of April that she "does not agree" with the American president's criticisms of European states and their position on the war with Iran.
"I continue to believe that, geopolitically, Europe has little to gain from a divergence with the United States, but our duty is, above all, to defend our national interests, and when we disagree, we must say so," she said to the Italian broadcaster RAI. "And this time, we disagree," added the Italian Prime Minister.
Meloni criticized Trump for his statements about Pope Leon XIV, saying that such remarks are "unacceptable." "She is unacceptable because she doesn't care if Iran has a nuclear weapon and would blow up Italy in two minutes if given the chance," the American president said.
Trump argued that the pontiff does not understand that Iran poses a nuclear threat. "He doesn't understand and shouldn't talk about war because he has no idea what's going on. He doesn't understand that 42,000 protesters were killed in Iran last month."
When asked if he was disappointed by Viktor Orban's defeat in the Hungarian parliamentary elections, Trump said with regret: "He was a friend of mine, it wasn't my choice, but he was my friend, a good man, he did a good job regarding immigration. He didn't let people come and ruin his country like Italy did."
T.D.