On Friday, former US President Donald Trump reignited his feud with Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni by sharing a manipulated image on Truth Social, captioned “RESTRAINING ORDER NEEDED.” The doctored meme, which alters Meloni's expression to make her appear enamoured with Trump, comes just before a significant NATO summit in Turkey.
Background on Trump and Meloni's Dispute
The ongoing tensions between Trump and Meloni began after Italy denied US military aircraft access to a Sicilian airbase for weapons transport related to the Iran war. This diplomatic friction intensified when Trump criticized Pope Leo for his condemnation of the conflict, leading Meloni to label his comments as “unacceptable.”
Despite a seemingly friendly tone during the G7 summit, where they were both present, Trump later claimed in an Italian television interview that Meloni had “begged” for a photo, which she vehemently denied, stating, “Neither Italy nor I ever beg.”
Details of the Doctored Meme
The meme shared by Trump is based on real footage from the G7 summit, where world leaders, including Meloni and Trump, were gathered. In the original clip, European Council President Antonio Costa jokingly asked, “So you're friends again?” to which Meloni responded, “We have always been friends.” However, Trump's version cropped out other leaders and altered Meloni's expression, suggesting the use of photo editing tools.
