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<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\nUS President Donald Trump on Wednesday slammed Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni for not backing him amid his ongoing faceoff with the Pope.In an interview with Corriere della Sera, Trump said, \u201cI thought she had courage, I was wrong.\u201dWhen asked whether he has the same relationship with Meloni as before, Trump said, \u201cNo, no. It has been negative. With anyone who denied us help in this Iranian situation, we no longer have the same relationship. They should know that Italy takes a lot of oil from the Strait\u2026\u201dTrump sharpened his attack, saying their bond had frayed. \u201cShe’s been negative,\u201d Trump told Fox News. \u201cAnybody that turned us down to helping with this Iran situation, we do not have the same relationship.\u201dMeloni has not responded to Trump\u2019s attacks, but many believe that a backsliding relationship with Trump could be an advantage for her as she recovers from a decisive referendum defeat last month and seeks to dull the impact of the deeply unpopular Iran war, including higher energy prices.Nathalie Tocci, a professor at Johns Hopkins SAIS Europe and director of the International Affairs Institute, told Associated Press that \u201cTrump has become completely toxic across Europe, across much of the world, including Italy.\u201d\u201cI actually think this is a godsend for her,\u201d she added.Meloni was expected to leverage her strong ties with him once he returned to office 15 months ago. The two had a perceived natural alliance, with nationalistic tendencies and similarly hard-line stances on immigration.But Italy was not spared the pain of Trump\u2019s tariffs, and some may argue she has gotten little out of the relationship. When asked if they had spoken this month, Trump told Corriere, \u201cNo, not in a long time.\u201dAfter an uncomfortable appearance in the Oval Office a year ago, when she avoided directly confronting Trump on tariffs, the distance grew over the Iran war. Meloni has stated Italy will not participate in the war, and last month the country refused US bombers authorisation to land at a pivotal air base in Sicily.Meloni\u2019s statement this week calling Trump\u2019s attack on the Pope \u201cunacceptable\u201d was the most direct criticism of the president yet.\u201cWell, I think what I said is what I think: that the statements, in particular about the pontiff, were unacceptable. I expressed, and I express, my solidarity with Pope Francis. I\u2019ll tell you more \u2014 frankly, I wouldn\u2019t feel comfortable in a society where religious leaders do what political leaders say, let\u2019s say, not in this part of the world. That\u2019s why I disagreed, and I told you so.\u201dMeanwhile, Italian cabinet minister Adolfo Urso said US\u2013Italy relations would not be shaken by the flap.\u201cItaly and the United States are allied countries and maintain their relationship and alliance within international institutions, starting obviously with the Atlantic Alliance,\u201d he told Radio 24, adding that the Church\u2019s moral teachings \u201ccannot crack relationships consecrated in alliances signed a few decades ago.\u201d<\/div>\n\n