Trump Says Restraining Order Needed Against Meloni, Draws Reactions in Italy

U.S. President Donald Trump shared an image of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in a July 5 post on Truth Social with the caption, “restraining order needed,” prompting reactions from Italian officials.The image appeared to show Meloni looking toward him during a previous public event. Trump did not provide additional context beyond the caption to the post, which followed weeks of strained exchanges between the two leaders.Questions about their relationship, generally viewed as warm and friendly, were raised after the June G7 summit. Trump said that Meloni had “begged” him for a photograph during the gathering. The Italian prime minister rejected Trump’s account and said she was “astonished” by the remarks.The latest post comes before the 36th NATO Summit in Ankara, scheduled for July 7–8, where the United States, Italy, and the alliance’s other members are expected to discuss higher defense investment, expanding military production, and continued support for Ukraine.Italian officials have remarked on Trump’s comments about the G7 meeting and the latest post about Meloni on Truth Social.Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani announced on June 19 that he was canceling a planned visit to Washington because of Trump’s remarks. In a post on X published the same day, Tajani said Trump’s comments were unacceptable, but sought to reassure the public on June 22 that diplomatic contacts with Washington had not stopped.Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto took a measured approach after Trump’s latest post.Speaking to Italy’s Sky TV, Crosetto said he did not intend to react publicly to the image because preserving relations with Washington remained more important than personal disagreements.“The fundamental thing is to maintain relations with ‌a key ally like the USA,” Crosetto said. “People come and go, but relationships remain.”Despite political differences with Meloni, Italian opposition leader Carlo Calenda of Italy’s Azione party expressed “full solidarity” with Meloni in a July 6 post on X and criticized Trump for his post.NATO SummitNATO leaders are expected to spend much of the time discussing how to strengthen the alliance as Russia’s war in Ukraine continues and members face pressure to invest more in their own defense.Meloni said in June that Italy plans to spend 2.8 percent of its gross domestic product on defense and security in 2026. The increase would raise spending by 0.71 percentage points from the previous year, reflecting Italy’s effort to move closer to NATO’s long-term goals.(L-R) Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk, France’s President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer at their meeting of state leaders of the European Group of Five (E5) and the NATO Secretary General at the Chancellery in Berlin on June 24, 2026. Michael Kappeler/AFP via Getty ImagesThe commitment follows an agreement reached by NATO allies last year to raise defense spending to 5 percent by 2035.Trump has repeatedly urged NATO members to contribute more to their own defense, making burden-sharing a central part of his approach to the alliance during both his first and current terms in office.Meloni has also argued that defense should not be measured only by the amount governments spend.Speaking in June, she said the war between Ukraine and Russia has shown that modern warfare depends increasingly on technology, innovation, and drone capabilities rather than traditional measures of military strength.Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni arrives during the Group of Seven (G7) Summit at the Pomeroy Kananaskis Mountain Lodge in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada on June 16, 2025. Ludovic Marin/AFP via Getty ImagesShe suggested that NATO should evaluate military readiness using a broader range of factors instead of focusing only on spending targets.Cooperation Despite TensionsThe summit comes as questions continue over the future direction of NATO and the role the United States will play within the alliance.U.S. officials have recently said that several European allies have not done enough to share the defense burden, particularly during the war with Iran earlier this year. Those concerns have fueled renewed debate within the Trump administration about NATO’s long-term structure and responsibilities.On May 4, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said that alliance members had “gotten the message” from Trump regarding agreements governing U.S. access to military bases across Europe.In a June 23 Fox News interview, Rutte said that about 500 U.S. aircraft had taken off from American bases in Italy to support “Operation Epic Fury.”The statement quickly drew criticism, because Meloni’s government had repeatedly said that Italy did not authorize its territory to be used for direct military action against Iran.NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (L) and U.S. President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum, on Jan. 21, 2026, in Davos, Switzerland. Chip Somodevilla/Getty ImagesThe Italian Defense Ministry responded with a detailed statement on June 24, saying the government had acted fully within the country’s Constitution, international treaties, and parliamentary guidance.The ministry said that only technical and logistical support had been approved under existing agreements and stressed that no authorization had been given for combat operations.The ministry also challenged Rutte’s description of events, saying his remarks created “a totally misleading message” by confusing different types of authorized flights. It said that “a simple check at the source would have sufficed to obtain the true representation of what happened.”Despite the public dispute between Trump and Meloni, officials on both sides have emphasized that cooperation between Italy and the United States remains intact. Italian officials confirmed in June that work continues on joint projects involving advanced technology, artificial intelligence, and critical minerals.The cooperation is part of broader efforts to strengthen supply chains and expand industrial partnerships between the two countries.