The Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni (Brothers of Italy, right), responded this Saturday (June 20, 2026) to new criticisms from the President of the United States, Donald Trump (Republican Party), and said that he should focus on his own popularity.
“My popularity is none of your business. I suggest you focus on yours.”wrote Meloni on his Instagram profile.
ATTACKS AND TRUMP
The response was published after Trump stated that the Italian woman wanted to be his wife again “amiga” to improve your approval. The North American president also repeated that Meloni would have “begged” for a photo with him during the G7 leaders’ meeting held in France.
On Friday (June 19), Meloni announced the episode and called Trump a liar. This Saturday, he classified the attacks by the president of the United States as “constant, unjustified and meaningless”.
“Being your friend certainly didn’t help my popularity, which also doesn’t depend on my relationship with you.”he declared.
Trump stated in a publication in Truth Social that Meloni wanted to reestablish the relationship with Washington to improve his poll numbers. In the message, he wrote the prime minister’s name as “Georgia”.
BASES IN THE USA
Meloni also responded to Trump’s criticism of the use of US military bases in Italy during the war with Iran.
Italy denied authorization for United States aircraft to land at military installations in the country. According to Meloni, the use of bases is regulated by agreements that will be respected, but cannot be disregarded.
“Their use is governed by agreements that we have always respected and that cannot be violated. As long as I am prime minister, Italy will remain a sovereign nation”he declared.
POPULARITY
The Meloni government, in power since 2022, has an approval rating of around 35%, after a drop recorded in 2025, according to surveys cited by Reuters.
The prime minister’s party, Brothers of Italy, leads the election polls with around 28%. The opposition Democratic Party appears with approximately 22%.
Trump had 36% approval, according to survey Reuters/Ipsos – rate close to the lowest levels of its political trajectory.
The public exchange of criticism marks a strain on the relationship between the 2 leaders. Meloni was considered one of Trump’s main allies in Europe, but the Italian and North American governments began to diverge over the war with Iran and the use of military bases in Italy.
The Prime Minister declared that she will not address the issue again and defended unity among Western countries. “I don’t think this is a show up to our duties”these.
