Donald Trump publicly attacked Giorgia Meloni over her refusal to back the Iran war and her defence of Pope Leo XIV prompting a unified Italian response and a pointed aside from President Mattarella.

The political friendship between Giorgia Meloni and Donald Trump, once one of the most strategically significant bilateral relationships in the Western alliance, cracked open on Tuesday in a manner that surprised even seasoned observers of Italian-American relations. Trump told Italian daily Corriere della Sera that he was “shocked” by the Italian premier and had expected her to be considerably more courageous.

The criticism marks a dramatic change in tone toward Meloni, who was the only European leader to attend Trump’s inauguration in 2025. Only last month he had told Corriere that Meloni was “a great leader.”

The “unacceptable” trigger

The rupture traces directly to Monday evening, when Meloni used “unacceptable” to describe Trump’s weekend broadside against Pope Leo XIV. The pope has repeatedly called for an end to the US-Israeli war on Iran. That word landed in Washington like a grenade.

Trump’s response in Corriere was unsparing. “I’m shocked by her. I thought she had courage, but I was wrong.” He added, “She is the one who is unacceptable, because she doesn’t care if Iran has a nuclear weapon and would blow up Italy in two minutes if it had the chance.” Trump also accused Italy of wanting America “to do the job for her,” denouncing Meloni for refusing to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which has been blocked by Iran.

On Pope Leo himself, Trump was equally dismissive, saying the American-born pontiff had “no idea what’s happening in Iran” and “shouldn’t be talking about war.” He added that 42,000 protesters had been killed in Iran last month, a figure he cited in apparent justification of the conflict.

Meloni: ‘I don’t know how many leaders have said the same’

Speaking at a press briefing at the Vinitaly wine fair in Verona, before Trump’s Corriere interview was published, Meloni was already in a combative mood. Responding to questions about why she had not immediately and explicitly condemned Trump’s attack on the Pope, she said a social media post she had made at 8:30 that morning had been intended as a clear signal, but acknowledged that clearer words had since been provided.

Then, with a touch of sarcasm, she turned the moment into a defence of her independence. “I don’t know how many leaders have expressed such words,” she said, in a pointed rebuke to those who accuse her of being subservient to Washington. “This is for those who say there is an alleged subservience.”

She also drew a wider principle from the row. “Frankly, I would not feel comfortable in a society in which religious leaders do what political leaders say,” she said. “Not in this part of the world.”

Crosetto and Mattarella give their opinions

Defence Minister Guido Crosetto took to X to make clear that Italian solidarity with the United States did not extend to unconditional silence. “Friendship between allied nations is based on respect, not on the renunciation of one’s independent judgment,” he wrote. “Being allies doesn’t mean accepting everything in silence, but having the courage to clearly state what one believes is right. The bond between Italy and the United States is not in question, just as the solidity of the alliance is not in question.”

He added that Meloni was “a leader who has never feared speaking her mind, especially when principles, respect, and identity are at stake.”

From the Quirinale Palace, President Sergio Mattarella chose a different register entirely. Receiving a delegation of journalism students, his words were impossible to miss in context. “If the powerful of the world used a little self-irony, even in small doses, the world would benefit, and they would avoid difficulties and embarrassment,” he said.

Is the Trump relationship affecting Meloni’s standing in Italy?

Meloni had hoped that her close relationship with the US president would strengthen her standing at home and abroad. Instead, it now risks becoming a political liability. Some 66% of Italians hold a negative view of the US leader. Pollsters are saying Meloni’s ties to the White House may have contributed to her defeat last month in a referendum on judicial reform.

The Iran war has pushed up energy prices in Italy, which is heavily dependent on oil and gas imports adding an economic dimension to the political turbulence that is becoming harder for the government to contain.

Opposition voices were quick to draw their own conclusions. Matteo Renzi of Italia Viva wrote that Meloni was “being dumped even by her own guru.” However, Carlo Calenda of Action took a different view, crediting her with finally having “the courage to do what had to be done a long time ago.”