‘Italy, And Its Prime Minister...’: Trump's Swipe At Giorgia Meloni Over Iran Conflict

Published 22 June 2026 · politics

‘Italy, And Its Prime Minister...’: Trump's Swipe At Giorgia Meloni Over Iran Conflict Published By, Last Updated: June 22, 2026, 07:53 IST Trump has repeatedly

‘Italy, And Its Prime Minister...’: Trump's Swipe At Giorgia Meloni Over Iran Conflict Published By, Last Updated: June 22, 2026, 07:53 IST Trump has repeatedly called for greater burden-sharing among NATO members and has criticised allies whom he believes rely excessively on American military and security commitments. Rapid Read File photo of Italian PM Giorgia Meloni and US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House. (Image: Reuters) US President Donald Trump criticised NATO allies and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni for not taking part in efforts to counter what he called Iran’s “very serious Nuclear Threat," while accusing partner nations of failing to match US security commitments despite decades of American support. In the post shared on Truth Social, Trump said that after “spending trillions of dollars" on NATO and Italy, including its prime minister, European allies would “not even think of becoming involved" in addressing what he described as Iran’s “very serious nuclear threat." He added that while the United States has defended its allies for decades, they have not always been willing to return that support when needed.

Under Article 5 of the NATO treaty, member states agree that an attack on any one member is considered an attack on all, and they commit to take collective action in response to such an armed attack. The first round of technical talks between the United States and Iran in Switzerland, held under the 14-point memorandum of understanding (MoU), has concluded, with discussions covering maintenance of the ceasefire in Lebanon, the continued opening of the Strait of Hormuz, and key elements of a potential nuclear agreement. The US President has repeatedly called for greater burden-sharing among NATO members and has often criticised allies whom he believes rely excessively on American military and security commitments. Italian PM Giorgia Meloni has been targeted by Trump, after she dismissed his criticisms as “constant, unprovoked attacks", following his allegation that she “begged" for a photo-op during the G7 summit and his criticism of her foreign policy decisions.

In a post on Instagram, Meloni explicitly rejected Trump’s claims about her domestic popularity and her reliance on his friendship, affirming her commitment to defending Italy’s interests. “President Trump, these constant, unprovoked attacks are senseless. As for my popularity, being your friend certainly has not helped it, nor does it depend on my relationship with you. My popularity depends on my ability to defend Italy’s national interest, and that is exactly what I have always done," she wrote. This exchange follows earlier accusations from Trump, who claimed that Meloni sought to be “friends again" after the US military defeat of Iran solely to “get her numbers up." Trump also reiterated his earlier claim that the Italian Prime Minister repeatedly sought a photograph with him during the recent G7 summit. In an aggressive post on Truth Social, the US President characterised Meloni’s alleged actions as a desperate attempt to boost her domestic popularity, asserting that she is “doing poorly in Italy" and trying to pivot back to him for political gain.