Trump Slams Meloni, Deepening Fallout From His Pope Attack

Article content(Bloomberg) — President Donald Trump slammed Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, his one-time political ally, deepening a rift over her opposition to the war in Iran and his attack on Pope Leo XIV.Sign In or Create an AccountEmail AddressContinueor View more offersArticle content“I’m shocked by her,” he told Italian daily Corriere della Sera in a six-minute interview that was published in Italian. “I thought she was brave, I was wrong.”Article contentWe apologize, but this video has failed to load.Try refreshing your browser, ortap here to see other videos from our team.Article contentTrump’s remarks are a near total reversal on his previous stance on Meloni, whom he once described as a “beautiful young woman” who had taken Europe “by storm.”Article contentArticle contentArticle contentThe exchange highlighted the breakdown in their relationship since Italy refused the US use of a base in Sicily to conduct combat operations for the war in Iran. On Tuesday, Meloni froze a military cooperation agreement with Israel as she seeks to distance herself from the war in the Middle East. Article contentTop StoriesGet the latest headlines, breaking news and columns.There was an error, please provide a valid email address.Sign UpBy signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.Thanks for signing up!A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Top Stories will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againInterested in more newsletters? Browse here.Article contentIt has also gotten personal. On Sunday, Trump attacked the pontiff, calling him “WEAK on crime and terrible for Foreign Policy.” The next day, she called those remarks “unacceptable.”Article contentIn the Corriere interview, Trump said it was Meloni “who is unacceptable, because she doesn’t care if Iran has a nuclear weapon and would let it blow Italy to smithereens in two minutes if it could.”Article content“Meloni doesn’t want to help us with NATO, she doesn’t want to help us get rid of the nuclear weapon,” he told Corriere. “She’s very different from what I thought.”Article content“She says simply that Italy shouldn’t be involved. Even if Italy gets its oil there, even if America is very important for Italy. She doesn’t think Italy should be involved,” Trump added. “She thinks America should do the job for her.”Article contentWhile Trump has antagonized allies, threatening to pull out of NATO and invade Greenland, his outburst might prove beneficial for Meloni. The premier has been on the back foot since a defeat in a key referendum last month and is facing a slowing economy and spiraling energy prices.Article contentArticle content“Meloni has been looking for an assist to distance herself from Trump, and this frontal attack gives her the chance,” said Lorenzo Castellani, a researcher at Luiss University in Rome. “Attacks on the pope and the economic uncertainty have likely subverted the calculus on whether an alliance with him is sustainable.”Article contentThere was no immediate reaction to Trump’s words from Meloni.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Italy remained “solid allies” of the US, “but that this unity must be built with mutual loyalty, respect and frankness.”Article content“We’re used to saying what we think because this is what serious people do,” the foreign minister wrote. “Up until today, Trump considered Meloni a brave person. He wasn’t wrong because she never backs down from saying what she thinks. And on the Pope she said exactly what all of us Italian citizens think.”Article contentMeloni has mostly been supportive of Trump, though she has at times also pushed back against him. In December, she said Trump’s controversial national security strategy should be a wakeup call for Europe. Last August, as European leaders gathered in Washington to facilitate peace talks for Ukraine, Meloni asked Trump for the rationale behind his push to raise tariffs with the European Union even if NATO allies had agreed to raise defense spending to 5% of gross domestic product, Bloomberg reported last year.Article content(Adds foreign minister’s comment.)Article contentTrending Forcing people to pay a moral tax if they leave the country won't inspire them to stay Personal Finance Posthaste: Canadian dollar is being dumped from FX reserves at a record pace. What's going on? News Carney suspends gas tax as Iran war drives up energy costs Oil & Gas Canada needs to invest $1.8 trillion over the next decade in six key sectors, says RBC News What is Anthropic's Mythos AI model and why does it have the financial world in a panic? Innovation Share this article in your social networkCommentsYou must be logged in to join the discussion or read more comments.Create an AccountSign in Join the Conversation Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information. Forcing people to pay a moral tax if they leave the country won't inspire them to stay Personal Finance Posthaste: Canadian dollar is being dumped from FX reserves at a record pace. What's going on? News Carney suspends gas tax as Iran war drives up energy costs Oil & Gas Canada needs to invest $1.8 trillion over the next decade in six key sectors, says RBC News What is Anthropic's Mythos AI model and why does it have the financial world in a panic? Innovation