What began as a petty-sounding quarrel over a G7 photo has exposed just how poisoned the relationship between Washington and Rome has become. Meloni\u2019s furious denial \u2013 \u201cItaly and I never beg\u201d \u2013 was not just about personal pride. It was about a leader who feels repeatedly humiliated by an ally who should be on her side, yet seems to reserve his harshest words for friends, not adversaries. When Italy\u2019s foreign minister scrapped his US visit, calling Trump\u2019s remarks an insult to the entire country, it signaled that this was no longer a social-media spat, but a diplomatic rupture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Layered beneath the drama are months of resentment: Italy\u2019s refusal to support Trump\u2019s bombing of Iran, the clash over a strategic air base in Sicily, and even a bizarre fight over the Pope\u2019s moral authority. Each episode has chipped away at trust. Now, a single photograph has become the symbol of something far larger: two right\u2011wing leaders locked in a power struggle, with an entire alliance caught in the crossfire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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What began as a petty-sounding quarrel over a G7 photo has exposed just how poisoned the relationship between Washington and Rome has become. Meloni\u2019s furious denial \u2013 \u201cItaly and I … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17483,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17482","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n