President Donald Trump delivered harsh criticism of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during a Tuesday interview with an Italian publication, expressing disappointment in what he called her lack of bravery in international affairs.
Speaking with Corriere della Sera, Trump voiced his dissatisfaction with Meloni’s recent positions, particularly her opposition to his military actions against Iran and her condemnation of his weekend remarks about Pope Leo.
“I’m shocked by her. I thought she had courage. I was wrong,” Trump stated in the interview published online.
The president specifically criticized Meloni for declining to support efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has blocked. He described the Italian leader as “very different from what I thought” and accused her of avoiding responsibility in the crisis.
Neither the White House nor Meloni’s office provided responses to requests for comment regarding the published statements.
This public rebuke represents a significant shift in Trump’s relationship with Meloni, who had previously enjoyed strong support from the American president. She was the sole European leader present at Trump’s 2025 inauguration ceremony.
Just one month earlier, Trump had praised Meloni to the same Italian newspaper, calling her “a great leader.” However, in Tuesday’s interview, he accused her of failing to support American initiatives on energy security and Iran policy, claiming Italy expects America “to do the job for her.”
When questioned about Meloni’s criticism of his Pope Leo comments, Trump responded sharply: “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.”
The deteriorating relationship poses challenges for Meloni, who had hoped her alliance with Trump would enhance her political standing both domestically and internationally. Instead, the association may be becoming a political burden.
Recent polling shows that 66% of Italian citizens view the American president unfavorably, and political analysts suggest Meloni’s White House connections may have contributed to her recent defeat in a judicial reform referendum.
Italy’s economy has suffered from rising energy costs due to the Iranian conflict, as the country relies heavily on imported oil and natural gas.
“They (Italy) 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,” the president remarked.
