Trump is not one to forgive and forget a betrayal or a slight – even if it is committed by a longtime ally.
For a long time, US President Donald J. Trump had an alliance with right-wing Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
She was the only European leader to attend his second inauguration last year.
But the traumatic developments during the ongoing war in Iran collapsed the bilateral relations, after Meloni denied the US permission to use Italian bases for airstrikes against Tehran’s regime, and also took Pope Leo’s side during the recent spat with the US president.
Secretary Marco Rubio went to Italy to meet the Pope and Meloni, but it hasn’t healed the wounds.
This last weekend, Trump again refused to rule out withdrawing American troops from Italy.
JUST IN: 🇺🇸🇮🇹 Trump to the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera:
“Italy was not there when we needed it, and I am considering moving our troops from Italian bases.” pic.twitter.com/T2HHmHsLHs
— WAR (@warsurv) May 9, 2026
Trump threatens to pull troops from Italy as Meloni blocks Iran war landings
‘Italy wasn’t there when we needed it’ pic.twitter.com/0m5fCJB8V3
— RT (@RT_com) May 11, 2026
WION reported:
“US President Donald Trump told Italian media that he is ‘still considering’ relocating troops from bases in Italy, adding that Italy was never present to help the US when needed. Trump has been speaking against Meloni after she refused to back Trump’s war in Iran.
‘Italy was not there when we needed it, and I am considering moving our troops from Italian bases’, local newspaper Corriere della Sera reported on Saturday (May 9).
The newspaper said that Trump made the remarks in a phone interview. Italy’s ANSA news agency had reported on May 1 that Trump said he may reduce US military presence in Spain and Italy, slamming European allies for not helping in the US-Israeli war against Iran.”
🚨 ITALIAN PM MELONI JUST ASKED TRUMP NOT TO REMOVE TROOPS
Fearing Trump will remove American servicemembers from Italy ON TOP of Germany — and maybe Spain — Giorgia Meloni says she wouldn’t “support” the move
“It is clearly a decision that does not depend on me and one that I… pic.twitter.com/6caJnxWqAj
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) May 4, 2026
Read more:
Pope Leo XIV BLASTS Trump’s Iran Warning as ‘UNACCEPTABLE’ (VIDEO)
