"Do Not Mess with Her" Warning... Belgium Steps Up Against Trump’s Continued Mockery

Trump and Meloni Enter Cold War After 'Photo Request' Controversy
"She is the 'queen' and 'alpha' of Europe's center-right"

The Belgian government has issued a warning to U.S. President Donald Trump: "Do not mess with Meloni."

On July 7 (local time), Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken stated in an interview with Politico Europe, ahead of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit, that while Europe will still need American support for its defense over the next 10 years, it would be an unacceptable "red line" for President Trump to attack Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

He said, "We need the United States as an ally, but do not mess with Meloni," adding, "She is the 'queen' and 'alpha' of Europe’s center-right."

Prime Minister Meloni was once considered the European leader with the closest relationship to President Trump. However, the two have recently clashed—first, in April, over Trump's criticism of the Pope, and again last month after the Group of Seven (G7) summit, following a public dispute over the so-called "photo request" controversy, which has further soured their relationship.

During the summit, President Trump claimed that Prime Minister Meloni had pleaded with him to take a photo together. Meloni strongly denied the accusation, dismissing it as untrue and pushing back forcefully.

Even on July 6, the day before the NATO summit, President Trump mocked Prime Minister Meloni again by posting a photo on social media in which Meloni is looking up at him, accompanied by the phrase "a restraining order is needed."

The minister, who is a member of the conservative, Flemish nationalist New Flemish Alliance (N-VA), expressed that while European leaders should be careful not to provoke President Trump unnecessarily at this NATO summit, it makes no sense to fight over a single photo and urged President Trump to exercise restraint.

He added, "I like Meloni. She is a conservative and shares the same political line as us."

Meanwhile, NATO’s European allies have been significantly increasing their defense spending to quell President Trump’s complaints that Europe is free-riding on American security. However, Belgium is considered the most lagging country in this area among European nations.

NATO has agreed to increase core defense spending to 3.5% of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2035 and is accelerating its defense budget expansion. Nevertheless, Belgium, which is struggling with a fiscal deficit, is expected to spend only 1.93% of its GDP on defense even in 2029.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.