Trump’s personal feuds with allies from Italy to Israel reveal how personality drives his foreign policy

has had a falling out with the Italian prime minister. 

In fact, as you may have heard, the entire country is angry with the president. 

Giorgia Meloni hit back hard, accusing Trump of fabricating a story about her. 

Trump had said: “She begged me to take a picture with her. She wanted a picture with me so ​badly. I wouldnt have taken it, but I felt sorry for her.”

“Donald Trumps statements are ,” said the prime minister, who has been an ally. “I am frankly astonished. I dont ‌know why ⁠the president of the United States behaves like this towards his allies: it is not the first time, moreover…

“There is one thing he should remember: Neither I nor ever beg.”

The flap, which prompted Italy’s foreign minister to cancel a planned U.S. visit, underscores how Trump’s , are driven by personal relationships.

 What we might view as a harmless bit of embellishment managed to insult an entire country, and alienate one of the few European leaders who has backed the U.S.  

In the wake of Trump’s , which has been fiercely criticized by Republicans as well as Democrats for making too many concessions, he is taking flak from another ally as well. 

Israel’s top newspaper, owned by billionaire donor Miriam Adelson, denounced the president.

The headline: “You could have been the greatest president of all, but you failed.”

In Israel Hayom, Danny Zaken wrote that Trump “may be remembered forever as the president who brought about Americas humiliation.”

He added: “You made a colossal mistake. You failed by signing a surrender agreement with a murderous and cruel terror regime…

“We feel betrayed, nothing less, because your heart was, it seemed, in the right place, with all your flaws.”

Adelson, an Israeli-American doctor, is the widow of casino magnate Sheldon Adelson. Trump awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2018, and she has donated massive sums to pro-Trump groups and campaigns. 

Trump has been furious with Bibi Netanyahu for continuing to mount attacks in , and made sure everyone knew it, with JD Vance joining in publicly scolding Israel. Netanyahu’s continued assault on Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon prompted the mullahs to cancel Friday’s planned agreement signing with the vice president in Switzerland.

Perhaps the most dramatic, live-action clash with another foreign leader came last year when Trump unloaded on Volodymyr Zelenskyy, canceled their planned lunch and booted him out of the White House. Zelenskyy, who was also lectured by Vance, didn’t help things by taking the bait and responding back in prickly fashion.

The president was more resistant after that to aiding in the war against the invading Russians, though his strong relationship with Vladimir Putin was likely a significant factor as well. Trump and Zelenskyy have since repaired their relationship, and met at the G-7 summit in France. 

By contrast, charming the president can also be effective. When was running for New York mayor, Trump constantly attacked him, threatening to withhold federal funds and deploy federal troops if the Muslim socialist was elected.

He called Mamdani a “communist lunatic” who hates the police and Jewish people, declaring “we’re not going to ruin one of our great cities… We will clean up the crime in about 30 days.”

But when Mamdani came to the White House after the election, the tone was strikingly positive.  

“I met with a man who’s a very rational person. I met with a man who wants to see – really wants to see – New York be great again,” Trump said. “I’ll be cheering for him.”

The president added: 

“We agree on a lot more than I would have thought I want him to do a great job, and we’ll help him do a great job.”

Mamdani, who had previously called Trump a “fascist” and “despot,” also praised their conversation.

 At a second meeting, the mayor pitched the presid