Trump's friendship, once an asset, becomes a liability for Italy's Meloni

"Senator Calenda, frankly, I don't consider your assessments of President Trump far-fetched. Following Trump's initiation of an unpopular war in the Middle East, leaders in Europe who had staked out closer ties to the president are watching those links transform from asset to liability. Perhaps nowhere is that truer than Italy, where Meloni - known as Europe's Trump whisperer - is doing political contortions."

"Meloni on Wednesday condemned the strike on an Iranian school that killed at least 175 people, mostly children, demanding swift responsibility for what she called a massacre at a time when Italian outlets have widely reported suspicion of U.S. culpability. In the same appearance, Meloni warned of unilateral interventions carried out outside the perimeter of international law."

"In echoes of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, a target of Trump who has spoken about a rupture in the world order under the current U.S. administration, she declared the collapse of a shared world order. This is a process that has been underway for some time but which has, in my opinion, reached a very specific turning point."

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, previously known as Europe's Trump whisperer, faces political pressure as her close ties to President Trump shift from asset to liability following unpopular Middle East military actions. In the Italian Senate, Meloni acknowledged opposition concerns about Trump's foreign policy while condemning the strike on an Iranian school that killed at least 175 people, mostly children. She criticized unilateral interventions outside international law and warned of a collapsing shared world order. Meloni's careful positioning attempts to maintain diplomatic relationships with the Trump administration while responding to domestic and European criticism of U.S. military actions.

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