Meloni Gives Up on Courting Trump as She Seeks to Gain Favor With Italians

US President Donald Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington in 2025.Photographer: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

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April 14, 2026 at 5:58 PM UTC

After decisively losing a popular referendum last month, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has been on the back foot, fighting to regain support before next year’s general election.

President Donald Trump’s verbal assault on her Tuesday may have given her a way back with voters she desperately needs. Trump on Tuesday slammed Meloni, his one-time political ally, deepening a rift over her opposition to the war in Iran and his attack on Pope Leo XIV - putting her on the right side of public opinion against an unpopular US leader.