‘People come and go but relationships remain’: Italy minister plays down Trump’s Meloni jibe

President Donald Trump and Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni

Italy’s deputy prime minister and defence minister have urged calm after US President Donald Trump posted a mocking photo of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Truth Social, saying transatlantic relations run deeper than public disputes.Trump on Sunday posted a photo of Meloni looking at him with the caption “RESTRAINING ORDER NEEDED,” reigniting a feud that began last month when he told an Italian TV channel that Meloni had “begged” him for a photo at a G7 summit. Meloni denied the claim.“I did not have any reaction. The fundamental thing is to maintain relations with a key ally like the USA,” Defence Minister Guido Crosetto told Italy’s Sky TV. “People come and go but relationships remain.”Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani struck a similar note, saying transatlantic ties would not be weakened by individual statements.“From the very start, we stated that we would not respond to such statements, so let’s move on. We are convinced that transatlantic relations go far beyond individual statements.”

Opposition calls Trump ‘despicable, cheap bully’

Opposition politicians were less restrained. Carlo Calenda, leader of the small Azione party, wrote on X: “Trump is a despicable, cheap bully,” expressing his support for Meloni.Meloni was once a vocal supporter of Trump and was the only European leader to attend his inauguration in 2025. However, she criticised him earlier this year for lashing out at Pope Leo over his condemnation of the Iran conflict, prompting a blunt rebuke from Trump, who accused her of lacking courage.The exchange comes as both leaders are due to attend a NATO summit in Turkey this week. Meloni has yet to respond to Trump’s latest post.