politics
U.S. President Posts Image of Self With Italian Leader Ahead of NATO Summit
The U.S. president posted a photo on social media showing himself next to the Italian prime minister with the caption 'Needs a restraining order.' The post came hours before a NATO summit scheduled for 7 and 8 July in Ankara.
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The U.S. president posted an image on his Truth Social account showing himself next to the Italian prime minister, accompanied by the caption 'Needs a restraining order.' The post appeared on the evening of 5 July, hours before the NATO summit in Ankara that both leaders are scheduled to attend on 7 and 8 July.
Relations between Washington and Rome have cooled since spring 2026 over differences on Middle East and Iran policy, U.S. criticism of Pope Leo XIV, and Italy's stance within NATO. The breaking point occurred on 19 June when the U.S. president stated in an interview that the Italian prime minister had 'begged him to take a photo together' during the G7 summit.
The Italian prime minister described the statement as 'totally invented' and said neither she nor Italy had begged.
' He posted a chart on Truth Social showing U.S. military spending since 2014 at 999 billion dollars, compared with 90.5 billion for the United Kingdom, 66.5 billion for France, 48.8 billion for Italy, and 44.3 billion for Poland. Italian officials have indicated they will not respond publicly to the latest post, viewing it as a personal attack lacking context.
