Trump is losing far-right allies in Italy and Poland

President Donald Trump and his allies have long argued that Trumpism is part of a global movement reshaping the West.

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Now that coalition is showing signs of strain over Trump’s war with Iran, his public criticism of allies and his threats to reduce American military support.

Not long ago, Trump appeared to have a point.

In 2025, nationalist leaders from across Europe gathered in Madrid for the Patriots for Europe summit, promoting a “Make Europe Great Again” agenda modeled on Trump’s “America First” movement.

The meeting included a close ally, right-wing populist Hungarian leader Viktor Orban, who was unceremoniously dumped out of power in an election earlier this year in a blow to the Trump administration, which had sent Vice President JD Vance to campaign for him.

Also in attendance were Italy’s Giorgia Meloni and Poland’s Karol Nawrocki, both of whom embraced many of Trump’s positions on immigration and cultural issues. Trump also endorsed Nawrocki during his presidential campaign.

But a series of recent disputes is exposing cracks in that alliance, as Trump’s “America First” agenda increasingly collides with the national interests of the leaders who once embraced it.

The clearest example is Meloni, long regarded as Trump’s closest European ally. She attended his inauguration and sought to position herself as a bridge between Washington and Europe. But the relationship has frayed over the administration’s handling of Iran and Trump’s increasingly personal criticism of the Italian prime minister.

After Italy declined to fully support U.S. military action involving Iran, Trump publicly criticized Meloni, saying he was “shocked” by her position and declaring, “I thought she had courage, but I was wrong.”

Shortly afterward, during the Group of Seven summit, Trump claimed Meloni had “begged” him for a photograph. Meloni pushed back publicly, accusing Trump of treating democratic allies with less respect than authoritarian leaders.

Poland offers another example.