U.S. President Donald Trump once again escalated tensions with a social media post targeting Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni ahead of this week's NATO summit in Turkey.
Trump shared a photo on Truth Social of Meloni looking up at him with the caption 'DEPORTATION ORDER NEEDED'.
Meloni had accused the U.S. president of making up a story last month after Trump claimed in an interview with an Italian TV channel that she had 'begged' him for a photo at the G7 summit in France.
Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto told Sky TV that he did not react to the post, saying, 'The key thing is to maintain relations with a crucial ally like the U.S.'
"People come and go, but relationships remain"
The opposition, however, reacted more harshly. Carlo Calenda, leader of the small Azione party, expressed support for Meloni on X, calling Trump a 'disgusting, cheap bully'.
Meloni was once an ardent supporter of Trump and was the only European leader to attend his inauguration in 2025. However, this year, after she criticized Trump's harsh outburst against Pope Leo over the Iran conflict, she faced accusations of 'cowardice' from the U.S. president.