Milan, 18 Sept. (LaPresse) – Donald Trump was angry with Giorgia Meloni “because he cares deeply about Italy, and you could have done more on Iran. But let’s not blow this out of proportion; sooner or later they’ll meet and everything will be fine. Now we’re expecting the Carabinieri to play a role in Gaza and to establish a new presence in Lebanon”. So said Tilman Fertitta, the US Ambassador to Italy, in an interview with *La Repubblica*. Is there any hope of a reconciliation between Trump and Meloni? “Military, cultural, economic and political cooperation between the United States and Italy has not changed. Just because,” he adds, “two people at the top have had a minor disagreement, the rest of the organisation carries on as normal. It hasn’t missed a beat. And then, despite the President and Meloni having exchanged a few too many words, Trump continues to see Italy as a global leader. From whom, however, he expected more.” What? “He never told me,” he admits. When asked whether the White House occupant expected more on Iran, Fertitta replies: “Yes, of course, he wanted more on Iran. As I see it, regarding the use of military bases, Italy has honoured its part of the agreement with the United States, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t have done more, and in fact the President did want more. Trump has a lot on his plate and doesn’t have time to scrutinise the small print in every single agreement. He simply expected more. When he has high expectations and things aren’t done the way he likes, he lashes out. It happened with Britain and France too. He doesn’t lash out at small countries; he lashes out at the countries he cares about – the big ones, with strong leadership.” Fertitta then adds: “I know President Trump and I can say that he doesn’t wake up every day saying, ‘I don’t like Giorgia Meloni’. The President has a great deal of respect for her; it is no coincidence that she was among the few leaders invited to dinner at Mar-a-Lago after the election and then to the inauguration. They have a very good relationship: let’s not blow this out of proportion; they’ll meet up somewhere and you’ll see that everything will be fine.”
Italy–US: Fertitta: ‘Trump wanted more on Iran; with Meloni, they’ll start talking again’
Milan, 18 Sept. (LaPresse) – Donald Trump was angry with Giorgia Meloni “because he cares deeply about Italy, and you could have done more on Iran. But let’s not blow this out of proportion; sooner or later they’ll meet and everything will be fine. Now we’re expecting the Carabinieri to play a role in Gaza and to establish a new presence in Lebanon”. So said Tilman Fertitta, the US Ambassador to Italy, in an interview with *La Repubblica*. Is there any hope of a reconciliation between Trump and Meloni? “Military, cultural, economic and political cooperation between the United States and Italy has not changed. Just because,” he adds, “two people at the top have had a minor disagreement, the rest of the organisation carries on as normal. It hasn’t missed a beat. And then, despite the President and Meloni having exchanged a few too many words, Trump continues to see Italy as a global leader. From whom, however, he expected more.” What? “He never told me,” he admits. When asked whether the White House occupant expected more on Iran, Fertitta replies: “Yes, of course, he wanted more on Iran. As I see it, regarding the use of military bases, Italy has honoured its part of the agreement with the United States, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t have done more, and in fact the President did want more. Trump has a lot on his plate and doesn’t have time to scrutinise the small print in every single agreement. He simply expected more. When he has high expectations and things aren’t done the way he likes, he lashes out. It happened with Britain and France too. He doesn’t lash out at small countries; he lashes out at the countries he cares about – the big ones, with strong leadership.” Fertitta then adds: “I know President Trump and I can say that he doesn’t wake up every day saying, ‘I don’t like Giorgia Meloni’. The President has a great deal of respect for her; it is no coincidence that she was among the few leaders invited to dinner at Mar-a-Lago after the election and then to the inauguration. They have a very good relationship: let’s not blow this out of proportion; they’ll meet up somewhere and you’ll see that everything will be fine.”