Rome – The open war of words between Giorgia Meloni and Donald Trump is shaping Italy’s political landscape as few diplomatic conflicts have done before. At the heart of the dispute between Meloni and Trump are jibes about falling approval ratings and mutual accusations, which have become increasingly sharp on both sides over the course of just a few days. The prime minister felt compelled to respond publicly a second time—and at the same time announced that she was closing the matter for herself.
The trigger was an attack by the U.S. president, who accused the prime minister of seeking to align herself with him for electoral gain in order to boost her own poll numbers. Meloni emphatically rejected this: Her popularity was none of his business; he should mind his own. Her popularity, she emphasized, depended solely on her ability to defend Italy’s national interest. Out of respect, truth, and the dignity of the office, she had decided to respond—but as far as she was concerned, the matter was now closed.
Why Meloni Wants to Defuse the Dispute with Trump
Behind the scenes, the prime minister is focusing on de-escalation. To avoid a full-blown diplomatic crisis, she instructed her cabinet to tone down their rhetoric. An initial order to boycott the traditional Fourth of July reception at Villa Taverna in Rome was quickly rescinded: Ministers are now free to attend the celebrations in early July.
Meloni attributes her reluctance to her belief in the unity of the West; she argues that a verbal exchange of this kind is unworthy of the mission of both countries. The next opportunity for a face-to-face meeting could arise on the sidelines of the upcoming NATO summit. Until then, the main question is likely to be how resilient the relationship between Rome and Washington still is after this row—and whether the close economic ties between the two countries will suffer as a result of the personal tensions.
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