‘Restraining order needed’ but against Trump: How his cheap theatrics against Meloni are inviting angry reactions

Donald Trump wanted a laugh. What he got instead was a wave of criticism calling out his own behaviour. On Sunday, Trump posted an image on Truth Social showing himself alongside Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The picture showed Meloni smiling and looking up at him. The caption read, “RESTRAINING ORDER NEEDED.”

The post carried no explanation. It landed among more than 100 messages Trump shared on Truth Social within roughly eight hours that weekend, most of them focused on his family and unverified claims about crowd sizes at his Fourth of July events.

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The image wasn’t even real

There’s a detail that has fueled much of the criticism online. The photo Trump used was not an accurate depiction of the moment.

According to a fact check by France 24, the image drew base from genuine footage from the G7 summit, but it underwent alteration. Meloni’s facial expression was changed to make her look enamoured with Trump. In the actual footage, she never makes that expression. Other leaders were also cropped out of the frame to isolate just the two of them.

This detail has added fuel to the backlash. People are not just annoyed by the mockery. They are pointing out that a sitting US president shared a manipulated image of a foreign head of state, and used it to imply her ‘obsession’ with him.

What people are saying

Reactions have come from multiple directions, and not many of them are kind to Trump.

Italian opposition figure Carlo Calenda posted his full solidarity with Meloni on social media. He did not hold back, calling Trump a despicable two-bit bully.

The Daily Beast described the post as a creepy meme from an 80 year old man mocking a female world leader, and pointed out the irony of Trump implying Meloni is the one who needs a restraining order, when he is the one who has repeatedly targeted her online.

Commentary from Ireland’s Irish Times noted that the meme suggested Trump himself needed legal protection from Meloni, calling the framing predatory and strange.

Meloni has stayed composed through it all

Meloni herself has not directly responded to this specific post. But her past responses to Trump’s attacks give a sense of how she has handled this entire saga.

When Trump first claimed she had begged him for a photo at the G7 summit, Meloni called the claim completely fabricated. She said neither she nor Italy ever beg. She also criticised Trump for treating allies more harshly than adversaries of the West, saying she found it disappointing that he showed less determination with actual threats to American interests.

When Trump doubled down and said her popularity was suffering, Meloni fired back that her approval ratings were none of his concern. She added that being his friend certainly had not helped her popularity either.

And, she has also made clear she does not want to turn this into a spectacle. She said she believes in Western unity and does not think a personal feud is worthy of the responsibility both leaders carry.

Why people are frustrated with the timing

Much of the anger isn’t just about the meme itself. It’s about when Trump chose to post it.

The image appeared barely 48 hours before Trump and Meloni were ready to attend the NATO summit in Ankara together. This will be their first face to face meeting since their public falling out in June. NATO diplomats have spent weeks preparing a summit declaration meant to show alliance unity, including a pledge of roughly 80 billion dollars in military aid to Ukraine and a renewed commitment to collective defense under Article 5.

Critics argue that turning a serious diplomatic gathering into a backdrop for a personal jab is exactly the kind of theatrics that undermines trust in American leadership among allies. Some have pointed out that Russia stands to benefit most from a summit remembered for a meme instead of its actual declarations.

Italy’s Defense Minister Guido Crosetto tried to downplay the situation. He described it as simply Trump’s way of doing politics, of pressuring his allies to get a reaction out of them. Even so, he confirmed Italy’s priority remains maintaining stable relations with the United States, adding that people come and go, but relationships endure.

A pattern people are calling out

This is not the first time Trump has targeted Meloni personally, and that repetition is part of why people are reacting so strongly now.

The dispute began after Trump claimed Meloni begged him for a photo at the G7 summit in France. He told Italian broadcaster La7 that she wanted the picture so badly, but that he felt sorry for her. Meloni’s Foreign Minister canceled a planned trip to Washington in response.

Trump also criticised Pope Leo XIV over his comments condemning the Iran war, calling him weak. Meloni defended the Pope publicly, calling Trump’s remarks unacceptable.

Each time, Trump responded to criticism not by softening his position, but by escalating it further. People online have started to see a pattern, one where allies who push back get this mocking publicly, while adversaries receive comparatively gentler treatment.