President Donald Trump threatened last week to withdraw troops from Italy. The threat followed his public accusation that Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni “lacked courage” after she defended Pope Leo XIV against Trump’s attacks, and refused to allow U.S. warplanes to transit Italian airspace for strikes on Iran. These two leaders began 2025 as close allies. That now seems like a long time ago.
What’s behind the Trump-Meloni divorce?
