Meloni on Trump: "Neither I nor Italy have ever begged anyone. We don't want charity." "I don't understand why he doesn't respect his own allies?"
The immediate trigger for these remarks was Trump's public claim that Meloni begged for a photo with him at the G7 summit, portraying the prime minister of a sovereign nation as deliberately clinging and subservient—essentially negating the equal alliance relationship between the U.S. and Italy, carrying strong personal humiliation.
Meloni's statement reflects the typical logic of right-wing populist governments: rallying nationalist sentiment domestically while pursuing diplomatic autonomy internationally. Previously, she was the only European leader to attend Trump’s inauguration, seen as a bridge between Europe and the U.S.; but when American actions harmed Italian interests and undermined national dignity, she responded decisively and firmly, demonstrating a realist foreign policy mindset prioritizing national interest and equality as a baseline.
This also marks the definitive end of the honeymoon period of supposed ideological alignment between right-wing forces in Europe and the U.S., as an increasing number of European countries recognize how "America First" erodes European sovereignty, accelerating the rise of demands for European strategic autonomy.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1868553461665792/
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