President Trump's rift with Europe has widened as he turns against Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, a fellow right-winger who had been trying to act as a bridge between the US and the EU.
Trump, who previously praised Meloni as a 'great leader,' now says he is shocked by her refusal to send forces to help open the Strait of Hormuz amid the US-Iran war.
The breakdown of their political friendship shows how the middle ground is disappearing between a White House demanding loyalty from its allies and a Europe where voters and governments increasingly view the US leader as a destabilizing force.
Italian Finance Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti warned that Italy could face severe economic fallout if the closure of the Strait of Hormuz persists.
Meloni's criticism has remained muted, but her perceived closeness to Trump contributed to the defeat in a referendum last month of her proposals to overhaul Italy's judiciary.
Trump's open hostility to the European Union makes it 'difficult to act as a bridge,' said former Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti.
Ever-fewer European leaders now openly back Trump, and his relationship with Meloni is no longer the same, he told Fox News on Wednesday.
