'She did the right thing' - Italians back Prime Minister Meloni following Trump's attacks

Italians on Wednesday (April 15) rallied behind their Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who was publicly attacked by U.S. President Donald Trump for defending Pope Leo against his criticism.

In an interview with the Italian newspaper 'Corriere della Sera' on Tuesday (April 14), Trump said Meloni lacks courage and has let Washington down, delivering a blunt public rebuke to one of his closest European allies.

In contrast, passers-by on the streets of Rome, including some who do not support her, welcomed the prime minister's words in support of the Pope, criticising the U.S. President instead.

"I think he is someone out of touch with reality," said architect Martina Ruggeri, arguing that Italy-U.S. relations would need to be reviewed following the latest episode.

The headlines of Italian newspapers were also dominated by Trump's criticism of his Italian counterpart, signalling a new phase in Meloni's international relations.

"She was a Maga," said the front page of Italian daily Il Manifesto, using a wordplay between Trump's supporters and the Italian word for 'magician.'

Meloni had been a vociferous supporter of Trump, but she distanced herself from him after he went to war with Iran in February, and on Monday (April 13) she openly criticised him for lashing out at Pope Leo, saying his verbal assault was "unacceptable".

Speaking to Corriere della Sera, Trump responded: "She is the one who is unacceptable, because she does not care whether Iran has a nuclear weapon and would blow Italy up in two minutes if it had the chance."

The White House declined to comment on the reported quotes. Meloni's office also declined to comment, but politicians of all stripes rallied to her defence, including Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani.

Trump's criticism marked a dramatic change in tone toward Meloni, the only European leader to attend his inauguration in 2025 and whom he had hailed as "a great leader" just one month ago.

The reprimand capped a tumultuous month for the Italian leader, who lost a crunch referendum on judicial reform in March and then saw her political ally Viktor Orban ousted from power in Hungary.

-Gabriele Pileri, Matteo Negri/Reuters