Donald Trump is escalating tensions with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, marking a sharp turn in what had once been a friendly political relationship.

The clash comes after Meloni pushed back on Donald Trump’s criticism of Pope Leo XIV. Meloni, who leads a right-wing government in Italy and is a practicing Catholic, defended the Pope after Trump publicly attacked him, calling him “terrible for foreign policy” and “weak on crime.”

“The Pope is the head of the Catholic Church, and it is right and normal for him to call for peace and to condemn every form of war,” she said, according to UNILAD.

Pope Leo XIV recently condemned the ongoing conflict between the U.S. and Iran. His comments followed a warning from Trump. Speaking to reporters, the Pope made it clear he would not be intimidated.

“I have no fear of the Trump administration, or speaking out loudly of the message of the gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do, what the Church is here to do.”

“I thought she was brave, but I was wrong”

Trump didn’t take Meloni’s defense lightly. In a phone interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, he launched a direct attack on the Italian leader.

“It’s her who’s unacceptable, because she doesn’t care if Iran has a nuclear weapon and would blow up Italy in two minutes if it had the chance,” Trump said.

He added that he had been “shocked” by Meloni’s stance, saying: “I thought she was brave, but I was wrong.”

Until now, Trump and Meloni had maintained common ground on several key issues. But Trump’s public feud with Pope Leo appears to have driven a wedge between them.

Trump has even suggested he played a role in the Pope’s election, claiming the Vatican chose an American leader strategically.

“He was elected as pontiff because he was American, and they thought that would be the best way to deal with President Donald J Trump,” he said.

“If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican.”