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.
Hellbound and Down 