Facing barbs and pressure from Trump, Europe's leaders close ranks
[July 02, 2026]
By GIADA ZAMPANO and SAM McNEIL
ROME (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump’s attacks on Italy’s premier
have had an unintended consequence.
After Trump questioned Italy’s reliability as a wartime ally and claimed
Giorgia Meloni had groveled for his attention, European leaders rallied
to Meloni's side, thawing what had been a frosty relationship over her
hard-right political roots.
It is the latest example of how the often divisive American president is
helping to draw Europe closer together.
European leaders are finding more reasons to coordinate on defense,
tariffs and foreign policy as they confront wars in Ukraine and Iran, a
ballooning trade deficit with China, and threats from Russia. That
leaves Trump, who has often preferred to negotiate with European
countries individually, with less ability to do so, analysts say.
“Most of the mainstream leaders realize that Europe is getting squeezed
between China and America, and so, if not now, then when?” said Sudha
David-Wilp, vice president at the German Marshall Fund. “They need to
act as a bloc in order to maintain Europe’s place in the world.”
This newfound European unity could be tested next week at a NATO summit
in Turkey.
European leaders rally around Meloni
Meloni's spat with Trump has helped her strengthen ties with European
leaders once wary of her party’s post-fascist roots.
A pivotal moment came in March when she wouldn't allow U.S. bombers
headed to the Middle East to use a base in Sicily without parliamentary
approval.
For years before then, France and Germany often kept Meloni outside the
small-group talks that helped shape Europe’s response to major foreign
policy crises. That persisted into 2026 amid disagreements over the
Russian war on Ukraine, including Meloni’s rejection of a proposal by
Britain and France to send European troops there following a possible
ceasefire.
But Trump’s escalating attacks on Meloni — who called Trump's criticism
of Pope Leo “unacceptable” — helped shift the dynamic, prompting
European leaders to rally around her.
After all, they, too, have been on the receiving end of Trump's barbs.
Meloni was firmly in the fold at a late June meeting in Berlin with the
leaders of Germany, France, Britain and Poland. And she met the next day
with French President Emmanuel Macron in southern France — the first
bilateral summit since the pandemic.
Europe's nationalist parties are adjusting
Even nationalist parties across the continent once aligned with Trump
are recalibrating their stances because his trade policies and war with
Iran are proving unpopular with voters.
In France, far-right leader Jordan Bardella recently blasted U.S.
actions as “foreign interference” and described Trump as “erratic” and
“extremely unsteady.” Bardella had previously welcomed Trump's brand of
nationalism as a “wind of freedom.”
In Germany, leaders of the far-right Alternative for Germany party have
criticized the U.S. military campaign against Iran. The co-leader of the
party, Tino Chrupalla, said in March he was “extremely disappointed”
with Trump, whom he had viewed as a politician who would avoid new
conflicts.
The changing rhetoric comes as elections approach, putting more focus on
domestic issues.
“This pushes everyone to consider a European horizon more than an
international one,” said Lorenzo Castellani, a political analyst and
professor at Rome’s LUISS University,
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From left to right, Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk, French
President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Britain's Prime Minister Keir
Starmer attend a press conference at the E5 NATO Summit in Berlin,
Germany, Wednesday, June 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Beyond Europe’s biggest powers
These dynamics are playing out beyond the European Union, from the
Arctic Ocean to the Balkans.
When Trump threatened to take Greenland by force, protests erupted
in its capital, Nuuk, and in the Danish capital of Copenhagen.
Leaders across the political spectrum bristled at the threatened
infringement of European sovereignty and feared it could shatter the
already stressed NATO military alliance.
In Albania, a luxury development being planned that is linked to
Trump’s family business has become a major political issue, drawing
protests in June.
The political risks of close alignment with Trump were perhaps most
clearly illustrated in Hungary. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán — long
regarded as Trump’s closest ally in the European Union — was voted
out of office in April despite support from the U.S. president and
prominent figures in the MAGA movement.
An analysis by the consultancy Maplecroft suggested that negative
perceptions of the Trump administration may have weighed on Orbán
politically.
Meloni’s balancing act
Though Meloni remains closely aligned with Trump on issues like
immigration and security, she has long diverged from him on Ukraine.
Her steadfast support for Kyiv has strengthened Italy's ties with
European allies and has become a key factor in their increasingly
united front toward the U.S.
During their public spat last month, Meloni said her friendship with
Trump came with a heavy political cost.
In her response to his accusation that she had “begged” to be
photographed with him while at the recent G7 summit in France, she
wrote on social media: “As for my popularity, being your friend has
certainly not helped it, nor does it depend on my relationship with
you.”
A recent Pew Research Center survey found that Trump is deeply
unpopular in Italy. According to the survey, the vast majority of
Italians — 83% — have no confidence in Trump’s ability to do the
right thing regarding foreign affairs. His handling of a range of
issues -- including Iran, tariffs, and U.S. immigration policies --
received a low level of support.
With a national election due by 2027 — and possibly as early as next
spring — Meloni faces mounting political pressures, including
fallout from the unpopular Iran war and her former ties to Trump.
Voters across Europe could hold their own politicians accountable
for the actions of an American president beyond their control, said
Castellani, the political analyst.
“At a certain point, when voters see the price of gasoline rising
because of a war perceived as distant, they ask Meloni for the bill,
not Trump.”
___
McNeil reported from Brussels. AP writers Sylvie Corbet in Paris,
Geir Moulson in Berlin, and Justin Spike in Budapest, contributed to
this report.
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