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The controversy between Donald Trump and Giorgia Meloni shows no signs of letting up.
Donald Trump published this Sunday on Truth Social a meme featuring a photograph of him and the Italian Prime Minister taken during the G7 in Évian-les-Bains, accompanied by a text in uppercase: "RESTRAINING ORDER NEEDED" ("A restraining order is needed").
The provocation came just hours before both leaders are set to meet at the NATO summit in Ankara, which begins this Tuesday.
The meme suggests that Meloni is obsessed with Trump and that he needs legal protection from her.
The image caused distress in official Italian circles and worsened a bilateral relationship that has been in free fall for months.
The Insult and Its Context
The meme photo was taken during the G7 in mid-June, when Meloni requested a brief conversation with Trump to stage a supposed normalization of relations.
After that meeting, Trump stated in an interview with the Italian channel La7 that the Prime Minister had "begged" to take a photo with him
"I wanted a photo with me at all costs. I wouldn't have done it, but I felt sorry for her."
Meloni responded sharply: “Donald Trump's statements are completely fabricated, I am frankly astonished”; and added: “Neither I nor Italy ever beg.”
On June 20, Trump escalated on Truth Social with a new message: "Now, after the United States has defeated Iran militarily, it wants to be friends again to boost its 'numbers'. No, thank you!".
Meloni responded directly: "My popularity is none of your business. I suggest you focus on your own."
The new meme this Sunday is the latest chapter in an escalation that began in April, when Trump referred to Meloni as "unacceptable" in an interview with Corriere della Sera.
"I thought I was brave, but I was wrong," he said then.
Rome opts for silence and restraint
Meloni did not respond to the most recent attack, and her office declined to make comments.
It was his ministers who went out to contain the damage.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani, was brief:
"These words speak for themselves. We have stated from the beginning that we would not respond to this kind of statement, so let's move on to another topic."
The Minister of Defense, Guido Crosetto, who will accompany Meloni in Ankara, underscored the strategic priority over personal frictions:
“People come and go, but relations with the U.S. must be maintained. It is essential to maintain relations with such an important ally”, he declared to Sky TG24.
From the opposition, the Secretary General of the Democratic Party, Elly Schlein, was more emphatic: “We cannot accept attacks, threats, or insults from foreign leaders.”
Carlo Calenda, of the Acción party, described Trump as a “cheap and despicable bully.”
NATO, the backdrop
The Ankara summit is the first face-to-face meeting between Trump and Meloni since the crisis broke out.
Both leaders will share a table with government heads on Wednesday and may meet as early as this Tuesday at the opening dinner.
The background of the rupture has concrete roots: Italy refused to allow the use of the Sigonella airbase in Sicily for combat operations during the attacks against Iran.
The NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte, revealed that more than 500 American planes took off from bases in Italy in support of that operation, although Rome insisted that it only authorized routine logistical support.
Italy has announced military spending commitments to appease Washington's demands: 2.8% of its GDP in 2026 and 3.8% in 2028, aiming to reach 5% by 2035.
Nonetheless, it remains one of the European countries with the lowest defense spending.
The dispute over Iran is joined by the fervent defense of Pope Leo XIV made by Meloni when Trump attacked the Supreme Pontiff.
Analyst Alessandro Marrone from the Institute of International Affairs in Rome has summarized the core issue:
"This once again demonstrates Trump's unpredictability and how much personal feelings influence the foreign and defense policy of the U.S. in this Administration."
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