US president escalates tensions on eve of Ankara meeting; Italian premier has said she will not respond further.US president Donald Trump has escalated his ongoing conflict with Italian premier Giorgia Meloni by posting a meme on Truth Social depicting her in what the image suggests is admiration of the American president, accompanied by the text "Restraining Order Needed".The post arrived on Sunday night, just two days before the NATO summit scheduled for Ankara on 7-8 July. The meme represents the latest chapter in a series of personal attacks Trump has directed at Meloni since their conflict erupted in June following the G7 summit in Évian. Trump has previously criticised the Italian premier for what he characterised as insufficient Italian cooperation on foreign policy matters, particularly regarding the situation in the Strait of Hormuz and Iran-related operations. Escalating dispute The conflict between Trump and Meloni began after Trump claimed that Meloni had "begged" for a photograph with him at the G7. Meloni responded via a video on social media, calling his claims "completely fabricated" and insisting that Italy "never begs." She subsequently stated that Italy participates loyally in the NATO alliance while respecting constitutional limitations on military operations. Trump responded to Meloni's denials by claiming she was attempting to become his friend again to improve her popularity ratings. Meloni countered that her popularity "has nothing to do with you" and that her political standing depends on defending Italy's national interests. She declared she would not engage further with the dispute, stating: "I believe in Western unity and do not believe this is a spectacle worthy of our responsibility." Diplomatic stakes The timing of Trump's latest social media attack is significant given that the two leaders are scheduled to potentially meet at the NATO summit in Ankara within 48 hours. NATO secretary general Mark Rutte and diplomatic teams have been preparing the summit agenda, which includes discussions on defense spending targets, military industry strengthening and support for Ukraine. The repeated attacks from Trump threaten to overshadow these substantive NATO discussions and create awkward diplomatic dynamics at a summit where alliance cohesion is already fragile given Trump's unpredictable approach to US NATO commitments. Political response Italian opposition figure Carlo Calenda expressed "full solidarity" with Meloni on social media, describing Trump as "a despicable two-bit bully". Within the Italian government, officials have emphasised the primacy of preserving the long-standing US-Italy relationship despite the personal tensions between the two leaders. The government signalled a unified approach to last week's Independence Day celebrations at the US ambassador's residence in Rome, with multiple senior ministers in attendance. Meloni, however, was notably absent.

US president Donald Trump has escalated his ongoing conflict with Italian premier Giorgia Meloni by posting a meme on Truth Social depicting her in what the image suggests is admiration of the American president, accompanied by the text "Restraining Order Needed". The post arrived on Sunday night, just two days before the NATO summit scheduled for Ankara on 7-8 July. The meme represents the latest chapter in a series of personal attacks Trump has directed at Meloni since their conflict erupted in June following the G7 summit in Évian. Trump has previously criticised the Italian premier for what he characterised as insufficient Italian cooperation on foreign policy matters, particularly regarding the situation in the Strait of Hormuz and Iran-related operations. The conflict between Trump and Meloni began after Trump claimed that Meloni had "begged" for a photograph with him at the G7.  via a video on social media, calling his claims "completely fabricated" and insisting that Italy "never begs." She subsequently stated that Italy participates loyally in the NATO alliance while respecting constitutional limitations on military operations. Trump responded to Meloni's denials by claiming she was attempting to become his friend again to improve her popularity ratings. Meloni countered that her popularity "has nothing to do with you" and that her political standing depends on defending Italy's national interests. She declared she would not engage further with the dispute, stating: "I believe in Western unity and do not believe this is a spectacle worthy of our responsibility." The timing of Trump's latest social media attack is significant given that the two leaders are scheduled to potentially meet at the NATO summit in Ankara within 48 hours. NATO secretary general Mark Rutte and diplomatic teams have been preparing the summit agenda, which includes discussions on defense spending targets, military industry strengthening and support for Ukraine. The repeated attacks from Trump threaten to overshadow these substantive NATO discussions and create awkward diplomatic dynamics at a summit where alliance cohesion is already fragile given Trump's unpredictable approach to US NATO commitments. Italian opposition figure Carlo Calenda expressed "full solidarity" with Meloni on social media, describing Trump as "a despicable two-bit bully". Within the Italian government, officials have emphasised the primacy of preserving the long-standing US-Italy relationship despite the personal tensions between the two leaders. The government signalled a unified approach to last week's  at the US ambassador's residence in Rome, with multiple senior ministers in attendance. Meloni, however, was notably absent.