Trump is making a big mistake by alienating Giorgia Meloni

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As the U.S. ambassador to Italy during the Biden administration, I have spent considerable time with Italian leaders across the political spectrum. While I have disagreed with many on policy, one fact is clear: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is among the most capable, politically skilled and strategically vital leaders in the world today.

That is why President Trump’s decision to publicly belittle her was not merely undiplomatic. It is political malpractice.

The latest controversy arose after Trump claimed Meloni had “begged” him for a photograph during the recent G7 summit. Meloni fired back, calling the story fabricated and expressing astonishment that the president would treat a close ally this way.

The episode is remarkable not because Meloni pushed back — any leader with self-respect would have done so. What is remarkable is that Trump chose to target one of the very few European leaders who has consistently invested political capital in maintaining a productive relationship with him. In today’s fractured Europe, that is a vanishingly short list.

Meloni has demonstrated a rare ability to navigate ideological divides. She worked effectively with President Joe Biden, despite stark policy differences. She simultaneously cultivated a strong rapport with Trump, earning a reputation as one of the few European leaders capable of communicating with him directly and credibly.

That combination is extraordinarily valuable. The transatlantic relationship is weathering its most difficult period in decades. Frictions over trade, Ukraine, Middle East stability, defense spending and China are rising. At moments like this, leaders who can serve as trusted intermediaries become valuable strategic assets. Meloni has repeatedly played that role, functioning as a bridge rather than a barricade.

Indeed, Meloni’s international influence grew precisely because she refused to be confined by ideological labels. Though often branded a right-wing populist, she has governed in many ways as a pragmatist. She has also demonstrated the courage of her convictions and worked to support American policy, even when she has been out front of Italian public opinion — including on Ukraine and Israel. She has maintained Italy’s commitment to NATO and worked constructively with Brussels.

For Trump, a leader with her unique positioning should be an ally worth cultivating. Instead, he appears determined to turn a strategic asset into a self-inflicted wound.

Successful diplomacy requires more than just leverage; it requires relationships. Leaders who consistently humiliate their friends eventually discover they have none left when they need them most.

The irony is that Meloni frequently went out of her way to give Trump opportunities that other European leaders denied him. When much of the continent chose confrontation or containment, she chose engagement, treating him as a democratic counterpart with whom Europe must cooperate. This approach wasn’t always easy for her domestically, but she persisted because she understood that maintaining strong ties with Washington was in Italy’s national interest.

American presidents do not need foreign leaders to agree with them on every dossier. What matters is mutual respect and a shared recognition of the alliance’s value. Meloni has proven she values the alliance. The question now is whether Trump does.

Great powers do not succeed solely through military might or economic dominance. They succeed because they build robust networks of relationships that advance their interests globally. Meloni has been one of the most effective builders of those relationships across the Atlantic. Driving her away may generate a day’s headlines, but it is a costly strategic blunder America cannot afford.

Jack Markell is a former U.S. ambassador to Italy