Vance in Switzerland leads Iranian negotiations
Rep. Mike Lawler, R.N.Y., joins 'The Sunday Briefing' to discuss with Vice President JD Vance in Switzerland warnings against Iran of aggressive military action if nuclear talks do not achieve good faith results.
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Donald Trump has had a fight with the Italian prime minister.
In fact, as you may have heard, the entire country is angry with the president.
Giorgia Meloni responded strongly, accusing Trump of making up a story about her.
Trump had said: “She begged me to take a photo with her. She wanted a photo with me so badly. I wouldn't have taken it, but I felt sorry for her.”
TRUMP SAYS MELONI 'WANTS TO BE FRIENDS AGAIN' AFTER ITALY REFUSED TO HELP US AMID IRAN WAR
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni attends her annual press conference in Rome on January 9, 2026. (Antonio Masiello/Getty Images)
“Donald Trump's statements are completely fabricated,” said the prime minister, who has been an ally. “I am frankly amazed. I don't know why the president of the United States behaves like this with his allies: it is not the first time, moreover…
“There is one thing I should remember: neither I nor Italy ever beg.”
The conflict, which led Italy's foreign minister to cancel a planned visit to the United States, underscores how Trump's policies, here and abroad, are driven by personal relationships.
TRUMP attacks close ally Meloni, says he is failing us in Iran
What we might consider a harmless embellishment managed to insult an entire country and alienate one of the few European leaders who has supported the United States.
In the wake of Trump's memorandum of understanding with Iran, which has been heavily criticized by both Republicans and Democrats for making too many concessions, Trump is also taking heat from another ally.
Israel's leading newspaper, owned by billionaire donor Miriam Adelson, denounced the president.
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The headline: “You could have been the best president ever, but you failed.”
Miriam Adelson, widow of billionaire casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, has supported President Donald Trump. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
In Israel Hayom, Danny Zaken wrote that Trump “may forever be remembered as the president who brought about America's humiliation.”
He added: “You made a colossal mistake. You failed to sign a surrender agreement with a cruel and murderous terrorist regime…
ISRAEL FEARS TRUMP IS TIRED OF NETANYAHU 'HIGHLY SUSPECT' AND COULD 'TURN' Amid IRAN DEAL: ANALYST
“We felt betrayed, no less, because your heart was, it seemed, in the right place, warts and all.”
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 organize attacks in Lebanon and made sure everyone knew it, and JD Vance joined the public scolding of Israel. Netanyahu's continued attack on Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon led the mullahs to cancel Friday's planned deal signing with the vice president in Switzerland.
CONSERVATIVES MEET TRUMP AFTER MEETING WITH ZELENSKYY GOES OFF THE RAILS: 'ABSOLUTE DUMBA…'
Perhaps the most dramatic live confrontation with another foreign leader came last year when Trump lashed out at Volodymyr Zelenskyy, canceling their planned lunch and kicking him out of the White House. Zelenskyy, who was also lectured by Vance, didn't help by taking the bait and responding testily.
After that, the president became more resistant to helping Ukraine in the war against Russian invaders, although his strong relationship with Vladimir Putin was probably also a major factor. Trump and Zelenskyy have since repaired their relationship and met at the G-7 summit in France.
On the contrary, charming the president can also be effective. When Zohran Mamdani ran for mayor of New York, Trump constantly attacked him, threatening to withhold federal funds and deploy federal troops if the Muslim socialist was elected.
DAVID MARCUS: MR. MAMDANI GOES TO WASHINGTON BETWEEN THE ROCK AND THE DIFFICULT PLACE
He called Mamdani a “communist lunatic” who hates the police and the Jewish people, and declared that “we are not going to ruin one of our great cities… We will clean up the crime in about 30 days.”
New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani attends the 2025 New York City Gay Pride March on June 29, 2025, in New York City. (Noam Galai/Getty Images)
But when Mamdani arrived at the White House after the election, the tone was surprisingly positive.
“I met with a man who is a very rational person. I met with a man who wants to see, really wants to see, make New York great again,” Trump said. “I'll be cheering him on.”
MAMDANI, PRESIDENT TRUMP HAVE BEEN TEXTING AT LEAST TWICE A WEEK, LIKE UNLIKELY BROMANCE FLOWERS: SOURCES
The president added:
“We agree on a lot more than I would have thought: I want him to do a great job and we will help him do a great job.”
Mamdani, who had previously called Trump a “fascist” and a “despot,” also praised their conversation.
TOP OTHERS EXCHANGING TRASH TALK WITH TRUMP BECOME SURPRISINGLY FRIENDLY IN PRIVATE MEETINGS
In a second meeting, the mayor proposed to the president a huge housing project in Queens, where Trump grew up and which Mamdani represented as an assemblyman.
Mamdani gave Trump a fake New York Daily News cover that portrayed the president as a construction champion who could make a lasting difference in New York.
Since then they have clashed over various issues, but have been silently texting each other.
For Trump, there is no dividing line between politics and personality. When he promised to use military force if necessary to seize Greenland, a Danish autonomous territory, he threatened to impose a 10% tariff on goods from Denmark and seven other European countries that opposed the effort. This was partly because the Danish Prime Minister insisted that she would not be blackmailed.
Regarding the dispute between Trump and Giorgia Meloni, both sides stepped up their rhetoric over the weekend: the president posted:
“She didn't even let us use Italy's airstrips, a huge logistical inconvenience, and this despite the fact that the United States contributes hundreds of billions of dollars a year to protect Italy and other 'so-called' NATO allies. Now, after the United States militarily defeated Iran, it wants to be friends again to 'increase its numbers'. No thanks!!!”
TRUMP 'RIGHT TO BE OUTRAGED' AT EUROPE'S BETRAYAL TO IRAN, SAYS FORMER THATCHER ADVISOR
Meloni called the president's attacks “pointless,” saying, “As for my popularity, being your friend certainly hasn't helped me, nor does it depend on my relationship with you… I suggest you focus on yours.”
It's like a schoolyard fight where both fighters want to have the last word.
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Of course, all politics revolves around relationships to some extent. When a candidate is seeking endorsements or a lawmaker is courting colleagues over a bill, a pat-on-the-back approach definitely helps.
But with Donald Trump, he is the driving force behind his way of doing business, period, and those who anger or irritate him quickly learn that there are negative consequences.
