AP News53%
Facing barbs and pressure from Trump, Europe's leaders close ranks 37%
By GIADA ZAMPANO0% SAM McNEIL0%
7/1/2026, 9:05:54 PM
Keywords: Donald Trump, Europe, Giorgia Meloni, Iran War, Viktor Orban, Italy, Government Policy, European Union, Eurocopa, Italy Europe Trump Meloni Iran War, Russia Ukraine War, Jordan Bardella, Emmanuel Macron, Economic Policy, Denmark Government, Politics, United States Government, Iran, Tino Chrupalla, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Military And Defense, Elections, Lorenzo Castellani, War And Unrest, International Agreements
BS Summary: This article contains 21 faulty reasoning types, including Negativity Bias, Biased Writer Voice, and Fundamental Attribution Error, with Post Hoc (False Cause) as the most egregious example at 37.1% saturation with 200 hits. Analysis detected 1,155 faulty-reasoning hits from 539 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 43.6% and a BS Rank of 37% (13,818 of 21,887 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 63.10% of the article peer group.
ROME (AP) — U.S.
President Donald Trump’s attacks on Italy’s premier have had an unintended consequence.
After Trump questioned Italy’s reliability as a wartime ally and claimed Giorgia Meloni had groveled for his attention, European leaders rallied to Meloni’s side, thawing what had been a frosty relationship over her hard-right political roots.
It is the latest example of how the often divisive American president is helping to draw Europe closer together.
European leaders are finding more reasons to coordinate on defense, tariffs and foreign policy as they confront wars in Ukraine and Iran, a ballooning trade deficit with China, and threats from Russia.
That leaves Trump, who has often preferred to negotiate with European countries individually, with less ability to do so, analysts say.
“Most of the mainstream leaders realize that Europe is getting squeezed between China and America, and so, if not now, then when?”
said Sudha David-Wilp, vice president at the German Marshall Fund.
“They need to act as a bloc in order to maintain Europe’s place in the world.”
This newfound European unity could be tested next week at a NATO summit in Turkey.
Meloni’s spat with Trump has helped her strengthen ties with European leaders once wary of her party’s post-fascist roots.
A pivotal moment came in March when she wouldn’t allow U.S. bombers headed to the Middle East to use a base in Sicily without parliamentary approval.
For years before then, France and Germany often kept Meloni outside the small-group talks that helped shape Europe’s response to major foreign policy crises.
That persisted into 2026 amid disagreements over the Russian war on Ukraine, including Meloni’s rejection of a proposal by Britain and France to send European troops there following a possible ceasefire.
But Trump’s escalating attacks on Meloni — who called Trump’s criticism of Pope Leo “unacceptable” — helped shift the dynamic, prompting European leaders to rally around her.
In her response to his accusation that she had “begged” to be photographed with him while at the recent G7 summit in France, she wrote on social media: “As for my popularity, being your friend has certainly not helped it, nor does it depend on my relationship with you.”
A recent Pew Research Center survey found that Trump is deeply unpopular in Italy.
According to the survey, 83% of Italians have no confidence in Trump’s ability to do the right thing regarding foreign affairs.
His handling of a range of issues -- including Iran, tariffs, and U.S. immigration policies -- received a low level of support.
With a national election due by 2027 — and possibly as early as next spring — Meloni faces mounting political pressures, including fallout from the unpopular Iran war and her former ties to Trump.
Voters across Europe could hold their own politicians accountable for the actions of an American president beyond their control, said Castellani, the political analyst.
“At a certain point, when voters see the price of gasoline rising because of a war perceived as distant, they ask Meloni for the bill, not Trump.”
McNeil reported from Brussels.
Associated Press Sylvie Corbet in Paris, Geir Moulson in Berlin, and Justin Spike in Budapest, Hungary, contributed to this report.
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79%flagged-word coverageSudha David-Wilp
48 attributed words41% of attributed speech91% writer coverage
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