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Trump blasts close ally Meloni, says she’s failing US on Iran

· Fox News

Tensions between Donald Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni escalated Tuesday after the U.S. president publicly rebuked one of his closest European allies, accusing her of lacking "courage" and failing to support Washington’s efforts against Iran.

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In a phone interview with Italian daily newspaper Corriere della Sera, Trump called Meloni "unacceptable" and said he was "shocked" by her stance, according to the outlet’s English-language version.

The dispute with Trump was further fueled by Meloni’s criticism of his recent remarks targeting Pope Leo XIV, which she called "unacceptable," prompting Trump to respond that "she is the one who is unacceptable."

In a scathing rebuke of the Vatican’s call for Middle Eastern de-escalation, President Trump took to Truth Social to blast Pope Leo XIV. Labeling the Pontiff "WEAK on Crime" and "terrible for Foreign Policy," Trump warned him to "focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician." The post, which quickly went viral, accused the first American Pope of "catering to the Radical Left" at the expense of global security. 

MORE KEY US ALLIES BLOCK MILITARY FLIGHTS AS IRAN WAR RIFT WIDENS WITH TRUMP

In the interview to Corriere della Sera Trump also reiterated criticism of Pope Leo XIV, saying the pontiff "has no idea what’s going on in Iran" and "doesn’t understand" what is at stake.

She "isn’t giving us any help, I’m shocked by her," Trump said about Meloni in the six-minute conversation.

He went further, accusing Meloni of relying on Washington while refusing to act.

"They depend on Donald Trump to keep it open," he said, referring to global energy routes through the Strait of Hormuz.

The comments mark a sharp shift in tone toward Meloni, who attended Trump’s 2025 inauguration and was praised by him as "a great leader" just weeks ago.

The White House and Meloni’s office did not immediately respond.

The public rift comes as Meloni has begun distancing herself from both Washington and Jerusalem amid mounting domestic and political pressure over the widening Middle East conflict.

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On Tuesday, Meloni confirmed in a statement that Italy had suspended the automatic renewal of a long-standing defense cooperation agreement with Israel, signaling a significant recalibration in ties.

"In light of the current situation, the government has decided to suspend the automatic renewal of the defence agreement with Israel," she said, according to Reuters.

The move follows recent tensions between Rome and Jerusalem, including Israeli warning shots fired near Italian troops serving in southern Lebanon under a U.N. mandate, as well as growing Italian criticism of Israeli military operations in the region.

Israel downplayed the impact of the decision, saying the agreement was largely symbolic and "has never contained any substantive content," Reuters reported.

In Israel, opposition leader Yair Lapid sharply criticized the government following Italy’s move.

"Italy’s decision to suspend the defense cooperation agreement with Israel is another embarrassing failure of the prime minister and the non-existent foreign minister," Lapid wrote on X.

TRUMP SAYS HE'S CONSIDERING PULLING US OUT OF NATO OVER IRAN WAR STANCE

"Meloni is not a left-wing progressive European leader," she added. "She belongs to the conservative right and understands the need to fight terrorism." 

Meloni’s shift reflects what analysts describe as a broader political repositioning, as the war’s economic fallout, particularly rising energy costs, weighs heavily on Italy’s import-dependent economy and public opinion.

Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani defended Meloni, reaffirming Italy’s alliance with the United States while emphasizing that cooperation must be grounded in "loyalty, respect and mutual frankness."

The escalating tensions highlight growing fractures within Western alliances as the U.S.-led confrontation with Iran reverberates across Europe, forcing leaders like Meloni to balance strategic partnerships with domestic political realities.

The Israel Defense Ministry declined to comment.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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Man raced to hospital after near-fatal stabbing

· Sydney Morning Herald

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Will Migration From Blue States to Red States Give the GOP a Boost in the Electoral College? Not Necessarily.

· Reason

Since 2015, the U-Haul Growth Index has been shining a light on domestic migration trends by looking at where people picked up one-way truck reservations and where they dropped them off—a clever if imperfect proxy for relocations. As in recent years, red states such as Texas, Florida, and Tennessee topped the rankings for drawing new residents in 2025, while blue states such as California, Illinois, and Massachusetts filled out a majority of the bottom spots.

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Because votes in the Electoral College are determined by a state's total representation in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, and because House seats are apportioned based on population, these changes could have huge political implications.

Two recent analyses—one from the political scientist Jonathan Cervas at Carnegie Mellon University and the other from the American Redistricting Project—looked at how Electoral College seats are likely to shift based on the results of the 2030 census. Although their predictions differ slightly, both found on net that traditionally Democrat-voting states stand to lose votes and traditionally Republican-voting states stand to gain them. Both expect four seats to migrate from California to Texas, for example.

If the projections are correct, Politico reports, Democrats' route to victory in the 2032 presidential race and beyond may become narrower. The party would likely have to pick up more "purple" states to compensate for amassing fewer seats from blue stalwarts in order to reach the 270 Electoral College votes required to secure the presidency.

There is an important caveat in all of this, however: While many of the states that are growing are currently seen as safe red territory, the people relocating from blue states may be bringing a more moderate or even progressive outlook with them. In other words, today's Republican-voting states could be tomorrow's swing states.

Some places that look like safe bets for one party or the other weren't always so. California has given its electoral votes to the Democratic presidential candidate in every cycle going back to 1992—but from 1952 to 1988, it went Republican in all but one presidential year. And while Florida has come to be viewed as a solid red state, it swung for Democratic nominee Barack Obama in both 2008 and 2012. With the Sunshine State gaining as many as 1,000 new residents per day according to some estimates, its political leanings may change along with its demographics.

Just as the population surge in some Republican-run states was turbocharged by the COVID-19 pandemic, future migration patterns may also shift in unexpected ways. Woe to those who try to extrapolate trends about human behavior more than half a decade into the future.

The post Will Migration From Blue States to Red States Give the GOP a Boost in the Electoral College? Not Necessarily. appeared first on Reason.com.

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