On July 6, 2026, former U.S. President Donald Trump reignited his public feud with Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni by sharing a doctored image on his social media platform, Truth Social. The image, captioned "restraining order needed," is based on genuine footage from the recent G7 summit but alters Meloni's facial expression to make her appear enamoured with Trump.

The original video showed Meloni laughing in response to a joke by European Council President Antonio Costa, who asked, "So you're friends again?" Meloni replied, "We have always been friends." However, Trump's post cropped out other leaders and digitally modified Meloni's expression.

This incident follows weeks of public clashes between the two leaders. After the G7 summit, Trump claimed in an Italian television interview that Meloni "begged" him for a photo, a claim she swiftly rejected as "completely fabricated," stating, "Neither Italy nor I ever beg." Trump later doubled down on his allegation and criticized Meloni's domestic popularity.

Meloni responded by calling Trump's "constant, unprovoked attacks" senseless and said her approval ratings were "none of his concern."

Tensions between the two also stem from Italy's refusal to allow U.S. military aircraft carrying weapons for the Iran conflict to use a Sicilian airbase without parliamentary approval.

The feud has resurfaced just before a significant NATO summit, highlighting ongoing diplomatic friction.

Sources