In an interview with the Italian daily Corriere della Sera, the American president stated that the Italian prime minister did not want her country to be involved in the Middle East war, which began with Israeli-American attacks on Iran. President Donald Trump criticized Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni sharply on Tuesday, April 14 for refusing to involve her country in the war in Iran, saying he was “shocked” and disappointed by her lack of “courage.”
“Doesn’t it bother them (the Italians) that your prime minister is not helping us get that oil? Do they like that? I can’t imagine. I’m shocked. I thought she had courage, but I was wrong,” said Donald Trump in an interview with the Italian daily Corriere della Sera.
Giorgia Meloni, elected in October 2022 to lead an ultraconservative coalition government, is one of Trump’s closest allies in Europe, often striving to mediate between the divergent positions of the United States and Europe.
President Trump declared that she did not want Italy to be involved in the Middle East war, which began with Israeli-American attacks on Iran, even though the country imports a significant amount of its oil from that region.
The interview in Corriere della Sera was published less than 24 hours after Giorgia Meloni called President Trump’s criticisms of Pope Leo XIV “unacceptable,” following the pontiff’s calls to end the war in the Middle East.
Donald Trump added that they had not spoken this month, “nor for a long time,” specifying, “She does not help us with NATO.”
“He doesn’t want to help prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. It’s very sad… She is very different from what I thought,” Donald Trump continued.
He described the NATO military alliance as a “paper tiger” and criticized Europe in general for not being “willing to fight for the Strait of Hormuz, from where it gets its energy.”
Giorgia Meloni is “not the same person anymore. Italy is no longer the same country. Immigration is killing Italy and all of Europe,” he added.
The Italian prime minister received unanimous support from both allies and the opposition.
“We are and remain staunch supporters of the unity of the West and strong allies of the United States, but this unity is built on mutual loyalty, respect, and honesty,” wrote Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani.
“Until now, President Trump considered Giorgia Meloni a courageous person. He was not mistaken because she is a woman who never gives up on speaking her mind. And on Pope Leo XIV, she said exactly what we, Italian citizens, all think,” Tajani added.
Elly Schlein, the leader of the Democratic Party (PD, center-left), the main opposition party, also defended Ms. Meloni, stating that “no foreign leader can insult and threaten our country and our government.”
