Trump said that his relationship with Meloni had deteriorated
U.S. President Donald Trump said he considers Italian Prime Minister George Meloni a “pleasant person.” At the same time, he said that their relationship had deteriorated after Italy refused to support one of the U.S. initiatives.
During a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara, U.S. President Donald Trump commented on his relationship with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The American leader called the head of the Italian government a “nice person,” but at the same time stated that she had “made a mistake.” “She’s a nice person, but she made a mistake,” Trump said.
According to the U.S. president, he and Meloni had previously enjoyed a good relationship, but it later deteriorated. “We had a good relationship. It deteriorated a bit because she again refused to help us,” Trump said.
He clarified that he was referring to Italy’s decision not to get involved in the conflict in the Middle East. At the same time, the U.S. president assured that he did not try to seriously pressure the Italian prime minister to change her position. “I didn’t put a lot of pressure on her. But when she refused to involve Italy in the conflict in the Middle East, it soured our relationship a bit,” Trump noted.
His remarks came after Giorgia Meloni had repeatedly been the target of sarcastic comments and jokes from the U.S. president, which were widely discussed on social media. There has been no official reaction yet from the Italian prime minister to Donald Trump’s latest statements, according to CNN.
U.S. President Donald Trump arrived in Ankara on July 7, where he will participate in the NATO summit and hold talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Today, July 7, the 36th NATO summit begins in Ankara and will last two days. Heads of state and government from all 32 NATO member countries, including U.S. President Donald Trump, will gather at the presidential complex.
