{"id":131180,"date":"2026-05-08T07:16:06","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T11:16:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/rubio-meets-meloni-as-trump-pope-clash-clash-escalates-us-strains-with-key-european-ally-131180"},"modified":"2026-05-08T07:16:06","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T11:16:06","slug":"rubio-meets-meloni-as-trump-pope-clash-clash-escalates-us-strains-with-key-european-ally","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/rubio-meets-meloni-as-trump-pope-clash-clash-escalates-us-strains-with-key-european-ally-131180","title":{"rendered":"Rubio meets Meloni as Trump\u2013Pope clash clash escalates US strains with key European ally"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Secretary of State Marco Rubio<\/a> is expected to meet Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni Thursday in Rome amid diplomatic tensions with both Italy and the Vatican.<\/p>\n

The meeting comes one day after Rubio, a practicing Catholic, held talks at the Vatican with Pope Leo and senior church officials in what many observers viewed as an effort to calm relations after weeks of escalating rhetoric between President Donald Trump<\/a> and the Holy See.<\/p>\n

For much of Trump\u2019s second term, Meloni was widely viewed as Trump\u2019s closest ideological ally among major European leaders. But that relationship has begun to fray amid disputes over the Iran war.<\/p>\n

That political partnership, however, has come under strain in recent months, as Trump\u2019s escalating clash with Pope Leo XIV collided with separate tensions over Italy\u2019s limits on using its territory for U.S. combat-linked operations tied to the Iran war.<\/p>\n

RUBIO TO VISIT ITALY, VATICAN AMID TROOP DRAWDOWN CALL, TENSION WITH TRUMP, POPE LEO: REPORTS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Asked April 30 whether he\u2019d consider pulling troops out of Italy and Spain, Trump said, “Yeah, probably. … Why shouldn’t I?”<\/p>\n

“Italy has not been of any help to us,” the president said.<\/p>\n

The Italian prime minister built a strong rapport with Trump through their shared positions on immigration, nationalism, border security and opposition to progressive cultural politics. Meloni was the only European leader to attend Trump\u2019s second inauguration in January 2025, and she also visited Trump at Mar-a-Lago as she sought to position herself as a key intermediary between Washington and Europe.<\/p>\n

TRUMP MEETS WITH ITALIAN PM GIORGIA MELONI AT HIS MAR-A-LAGO RESORT<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

The relationship often appeared notably warm in public.\u00a0<\/p>\n

During a 2025 Middle East summit in Egypt, Trump publicly praised Meloni as “a beautiful young woman” and joked, “You don\u2019t mind being called beautiful, right?” before describing her as an “incredible leader” respected throughout Italy.<\/p>\n

Trump and Meloni also found common ground politically.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Both leaders embraced tougher border enforcement policies, criticized “woke” ideology in Western institutions and argued for stronger nationalist identities inside their respective countries. Meloni\u2019s conservative Brothers of Italy party was frequently described by Trump allies as an example of the type of populist movement reshaping Europe<\/p>\n

The split became visible after Meloni publicly criticized Trump\u2019s attacks on the pope as “unacceptable,” prompting Trump to lash back<\/a> and reportedly tell aides she was “much different than I thought.”<\/p>\n

RUBIO HOLDS \u2018CONSTRUCTIVE\u2019 MEETING WITH POPE LEO AFTER TRUMP SENDS HARD-LINE IRAN MESSAGE TO VATICAN<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Italian media and European analysts have described the dispute as a remarkable deterioration between two leaders once viewed as natural political allies.<\/p>\n

The Vatican dispute has been especially politically sensitive for Meloni because Pope Leo, the first American-born pontiff, remains highly influential in Italy, where criticism of the pope by foreign leaders can quickly become politically toxic. Trump\u2019s remarks about Leo\u2019s opposition to the war against Iran generated significant backlash among Italian Catholics and across portions of Italy\u2019s political establishment.<\/p>\n

The Iran conflict has further complicated relations. Italian officials reportedly have expressed growing discomfort over the possibility of deeper U.S. military<\/a> escalation and concerns surrounding American military basing access in Italy. Rome has also faced pressure domestically to distance itself from Washington\u2019s handling of the conflict.<\/p>\n

Economic tensions continue simmering in the background as well. While Trump earlier this year reduced tariffs on some Italian exports, including pasta products, as what he described as a “New Year\u2019s gift” to Italy, concerns remain in Rome and Brussels over the administration\u2019s repeated threats to impose broader tariffs on European goods.<\/p>\n

Against that backdrop, Rubio\u2019s visit is widely being interpreted as an effort to stabilize relations before the political rift deepens further. The secretary of state is expected to discuss Middle East security, NATO coordination, migration and trade during his talks with Meloni and other Italian officials as the administration works to preserve Italy\u2019s role as one of Washington\u2019s closest partners in southern Europe.<\/p>\n

The White House and Italian embassy in the U.S. could not immediately be reached for comment.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Source – https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/rubio-meets-meloni-trump-pope-clash-clash-escalates-us-strains-key-european-ally <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to meet Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni Thursday in Rome amid diplomatic tensions with both Italy and the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"twitter_2902945987_2902945987":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[16563],"tags":[],"stock_ticker":[],"class_list":["post-131180","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-market-news","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nRubio meets Meloni as Trump\u2013Pope clash clash escalates US strains with key European ally - Wall Street PR<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/rubio-meets-meloni-as-trump-pope-clash-clash-escalates-us-strains-with-key-european-ally-131180\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Rubio meets Meloni as Trump\u2013Pope clash clash escalates US strains with key European ally - 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