From Meloni To Macron: How Trump’s Relationships With Europe’s Leaders Fell Apart One By One

Donald Trump has sparked an world spat pinch Italy, aft he was accused of “serious and offensive” remarks astir prime minister Giorgia Meloni.

Deputy premier curate Antonio Tajani cancelled a scheduled travel to nan US complete nan comments claiming that they “offend each of Italy”.

The bizarre conflict appears to started pinch claims Meloni wanted to return a image pinch nan US leader, earlier spiralling into individual attacks shared connected societal media.

But this is acold from nan first clip that Trump has rubbed world leaders nan incorrect way.

The American president has spent overmuch of his 2nd word successful agency criticising friends for illustration Nato and nan European Union connected a scope of issues from a perceived deficiency of subject support, defence spending, his designs connected Greenland and tariffs.

Below we look astatine immoderate of Trump’s high-profile clashes pinch Europe’s leaders during his 2nd word successful office.

Italy: Giorgia Meloni

According to a transcript by Italian transmission La7, Trump is reported to person said that Meloni “wanted a image with maine truthful badly” and that he agreed only because he “felt sorry for her” erstwhile nan brace met astatine nan G7 summit successful nan French Alps this week.

He is besides reported to person said that nan Italian premier curate may beryllium “happy that I talked to her, I didn’t person to talk to her”.

Meloni consequence was that Trump’s relationship was “made up”, adding: “Neither I nor Italy ever beg”.

“I don’t cognize why nan president of nan United States behaves this measurement pinch his ain allies,” nan right-wing leader said successful a video posted connected X successful consequence to nan report.

“I tin only opportunity that it’s a pity he doesn’t show nan aforesaid determination pinch enemies of nan West, pinch enemies of nan United States, pinch leaders pinch whom, instead, he is acold much accommodating.”

Trump doubled down connected Saturday, claiming Meloni “wanted to beryllium friends to get her numbers up”, referring to her polling.

“Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni asked, complete and over, for a image pinch maine during nan G-7 gathering successful France,@ nan president posted connected Truth Social.

“She is doing poorly successful Italy pinch her level of popularity, perchance because she turned down nan United States of America, a Country that genuinely loves and protects Italy, erstwhile it came to denying Iran from obtaining aliases processing a Nuclear Weapon (But truthful did NATO, for that matter!).”

The brace had appeared cordial astatine nan gathering successful France but it is not nan first clip that nan US leader has made headline-grabbing remarks astir Meloni.

“We person a female – a young female who is… I’m not allowed to opportunity it because usually it’s nan extremity of your governmental profession if you opportunity it,” he said astatine a bid acme successful Egypt successful October. “She's a beautiful young woman.”

France: Emmanuel Macron

Trump has a agelong history of tensions pinch French president Emmanuel Macron. When nan brace first met successful 2017, they held each other’s hands truthful firmly and for truthful agelong that the speech was dubbed nan “handshake wars” by media.

Despite a little play of cordiality branded “le bromance” by commentators, nan bully feelings quickly fizzled. Macron called Trump’s “America First” argumentation “insane” and Nato being “brain dead” for withdrawing US troops from Syria.

Trump deed retired astatine nan comments arsenic “very, very nasty”, “insulting” and “disrespectful”. He later toned this down by saying that nan US and France had “done a batch of bully things together arsenic partners.”

Earlier this year, he mocked nan French leader’s “beautiful sunglasses” erstwhile Macron sported eye-catching aviators astatine nan Davos conference, asking: “What nan hellhole happened?”

Weeks later Trump mocked Macron successful possibly his lowest rustle yet, by saying he is treated “extremely badly” by his woman Brigitte.

“I called up France, Macron, whose woman treats him highly severely and he’s still recovering from nan correct to nan jaw,” Trump said, seemingly referring to Macron being pushed successful nan look by his woman during an incident connected a level successful Vietnam. The French president said that nan comments were neither “elegant” nor “up to standard”.

Later, Macron said successful consequence to questions astir nan Iran war: “This is not a show. We are talking astir warfare and bid and nan lives of men and women," connected a authorities sojourn to South Korea.

"When you want to beryllium superior you don't opportunity each time nan other of what you said nan time before. And possibly you shouldn't beryllium speaking each day. You should conscionable fto things quieten down.”

The pair’s rollercoaster narration appeared to person been connected much amicable position this week, however, arsenic Trump made a sojourn to nan palace of Versailles aft nan G7 summit.

Germany: Friedrich Merz

German chancellor Merz presented Trump pinch a typical shot garment astatine nan G7 acme this week, which appeared to please nan president.

The motion whitethorn person been thing of an oliva branch aft Merz said successful April that nan US was being “humiliated” by Iran astatine nan speech table, while Trump complained that nan chancellor was doing a “terrible job” successful Germany and threatened to retreat troops from nan country.

Merz later insisted that location had been “no connection” betwixt nan US threat to propulsion troops and his comments connected Iran.

Trump said that nan chancellor should walk “more clip fixing his surgery Country…and little clip connected interfering pinch those that are getting free of nan Iran Nuclear threat”.

The chancellor has simultaneously advocated for moving intimately pinch nan US but besides achieving greater European independency from America.

Shortly earlier stepping into agency past twelvemonth he had declared: “My absolute privilege will beryllium to fortify Europe arsenic quickly arsenic imaginable truthful that, measurement by step, we tin really execute independency from nan USA,” alleging that Trump’s authorities “does not attraction overmuch astir nan destiny of Europe” successful February 2025.

In June past year, nan brace had an awkward relationship erstwhile Trump said that “D-Day was not a pleasant day for you [Germany]” successful an evident wisecrack.

The chancellor began to reply that it was “not a pleasant day” earlier stopping himself and trying to explicate nan value of nan day.

“In nan agelong run, Mr President, this was nan liberation of my state from Nazi dictatorship,” he said.

Spain: Pedro Sanchez

Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez has possibly been nan astir ardent professional of nan US and Israel erstwhile it comes to their subject actions.

Sanchez accused Trump of “playing Russian Roulette” pinch millions of lives complete nan warfare pinch Iran.

“We are not going to beryllium complicit successful thing that is bad for nan world and is besides contrary to our values and interests, conscionable retired of fearfulness of reprisals from someone,” Sanchez said successful March.

He intelligibly condemned nan conflict arsenic an “unjustified and vulnerable subject involution that is extracurricular world law”, later branding it “absurd, sadistic and illegal”.

In March Trump threatened “to trim disconnected each waste and acquisition pinch Spain” aft nan state refused entree to its subject bases.

Despite Spain’s refusal, Trump said “we could usage their guidelines if we want”, referencing 2 subject bases successful confederate Spain that nan US and Spain share, but which stay nether Spanish command.

“We could conscionable alert successful and usage it,” Trump said. “Nobody’s going to show america not to usage it, but we don’t person to.”

He told reporters during a White House gathering pinch Merz that Spain “has been terrible”, adding he had told Treasury caput Scott Bessent to “cut disconnected each dealings” pinch Madrid.

“We’re going to trim disconnected each waste and acquisition pinch Spain. We don’t want thing to do pinch Spain,” he added.

Trump has antecedently suggested expelling Spain from Nato complete what he perceived arsenic a deficiency of committedness to nan alliance.

“You group [European leaders] are gonna person to commencement speaking to Spain,” he told Finnish president Alexander Stubb astatine nan Oval agency successful October 2025. “You person to telephone them and find why are they are a laggard. Maybe we should propulsion them retired of Nato.”

United Kingdom: Keir Starmer

Formerly known arsenic nan “Trump whisperer”, British premier curate Starmer has besides faced nan president’s ire successful a bid of spats complete nan past year.

The US leader said that nan typical narration betwixt nan US and nan UK was “not what it was”, claiming Starmer was “not doing enough” to support nan US successful its operations successful Iran, peculiarly to reopen nan Strait of Hormuz.

Throughout his tenure he has criticised Starmer’s migration argumentation and accused him of “windmilling nan state to death” for his argumentation connected upwind turbines.

After Trump threatened to swipe retired a “whole civilisation” successful reference to Iran soon aft nan warfare started, Starmer told ITV’s Robert Peston: “Let maine beryllium really clear astir this: they are not words I would use, ever use, because I travel astatine this pinch our British values and principles.”

He added: “It is very important that I’m clear that for nan United Kingdom, we person our principles, we person our values. We will beryllium guided by them successful everything that we do. That’s why I’ve said [it], and evidently it’s caused a grade of disapproval and unit successful nan past fewer weeks.”

Starmer went truthful acold arsenic to deny he was being snubbed by Trump erstwhile nan brace appeared astatine nan G7, aft it emerged they nary bilateral meetings planned.