Connect with us

INTERNACIONAL

Meloni’s spat with Trump is calculated strategy to boost her approval ratings: expert

Published

on


NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s escalating feud with President Donald Trump is nothing but a calculated political strategy aimed at boosting her standing at home, a leading Italian political analyst told Fox News Digital on Sunday.

Advertisement

After the row between Trump and Meloni escalated on June 20, analysts also said the Italian leader may see little downside in confronting Trump, particularly as she faces declining approval ratings ahead of Italy’s 2027 general election.

The diplomatic dispute had reached a boiling point after Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani announced June 19 that he was scrapping a trip to Washington, where he had been scheduled to meet Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

«Giorgia Meloni must have calculated that a public row with Trump yields no tangible consequences, other than an increase in her domestic and international standing,» Mattia Diletti, a political science lecturer at Sapienza University of Rome, said.

Advertisement

TRUMP SAYS MELONI ‘WANTS TO BE FRIENDS AGAIN’ AFTER ITALY REFUSED TO HELP US AMID IRAN WAR

Giorgia Meloni said President Trump’s statements were «completely made up» and that «neither I nor Italy ever beg.» (Mandel NGAN / POOL / AFP via Getty Images; Bastien Ohier / Hans Lucas / AFP via Getty Images))

Giovanni Orsina, a political scientist at Rome’s Luiss University, also told the Financial Times that the row would offer a «positive image» for Meloni and a «silver lining» to a confrontation she had «desperately tried to avoid.»

Advertisement

The friction between Trump and Meloni intensified after an interview broadcast by Italy’s La7 television network, where the president claimed she had asked for a photograph with him at the G7 summit and that he agreed only out of pity.

«She begged me to take a picture with her,» Trump said. «She wanted a picture with me so badly. I wouldn’t have taken it, but I felt sorry for her.»

RUBIO MEETS MELONI AS TRUMP–POPE CLASH CLASH ESCALATES US STRAINS WITH KEY EUROPEAN ALLY

Advertisement
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni speaking at a podium during a press conference in Rome

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni attends her annual press conference in Rome on Jan. 9, 2026, addressing government priorities and policy challenges for the year ahead. (Antonio Masiello/Getty Images)

Meloni fired back, releasing a video statement on X rejecting the president’s narrative.

«I am frankly stunned,» Meloni said in the video message. «I don’t know why the president of the United States behaves this way toward his own allies. But there’s one thing he must remember: Neither I nor Italy ever beg.»

Trump doubled down on Truth Social and tied the row directly to Meloni’s political fortunes.

Advertisement

«Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni asked, over and over, for a picture with me during the G7 meeting in France,» Trump wrote on Truth Social.

«She is doing poorly in Italy with her level of popularity, possibly because she turned down the United States of America… when it came to denying Iran from obtaining or developing a nuclear weapon … She wouldn’t even let us use Italy’s landing strips or runways, a great logistical inconvenience … Now, after the United States defeated Iran militarily, she wants to be friends again in order to get her ‘numbers up.’ No thanks!!!»

Within hours, Meloni responded on social media: «As for my popularity, being your friend certainly has not helped it … My popularity depends on my ability to defend Italy’s national interest… In any case, my popularity is none of your concern. I suggest you focus on yours.»

Advertisement

TRUMP ‘RIGHT TO BE OUTRAGED’ BY EUROPE’S BETRAYAL ON IRAN, SAYS FORMER THATCHER ADVISOR

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Pope Leo

Rubio will travel to Italy on Wednesday for meetings with Pope Leo and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. (Maria Grazia Picciarella/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

The back-and-forth marks a reversal for two leaders who once enjoyed a close political alignment.

When Meloni first came to power, she positioned herself as a bridge between Washington and Brussels while pushing ties with Trump based on shared nationalism and stances on immigration.

Advertisement

«Politically, Trump has favored Meloni,» Diletti noted, pointing out that she had previously visited Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida in 2025. She was the only European Union leader to attend his second inauguration.

The cracks also appeared in April when Trump criticized Meloni for siding with Pope Leo XIV’s condemnation of the U.S. conflict with Iran.

On Sunday, Trump also criticized Italy and Giorgia Meloni over their approach to Iran, accusing the NATO ally of failing to help confront Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.

Advertisement

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

«As the 2027 Italian general election approaches, Meloni is facing a decline in approval ratings for the first time,» Diletti explained.

«The opportunity to counter a President so unpopular in Europe and Italy helps bolster her approval ratings and allows her to build European solidarity,» he claimed.

Advertisement



politics, donald trump, war with iran, foreign affairs, geopolitics

Advertisement

INTERNACIONAL

En Honduras ¿Vale la pena reclamar? Psicóloga advierte cómo una discusión de tránsito puede terminar en tragedia

Published

on


El tránsito activa una respuesta fisiológica con aumento de cortisol y adrenalina, lo que incrementa el estrés y favorece reacciones impulsivas.

Bajarse del automóvil para reclamarle a otro conductor puede convertir una discusión de tránsito en una situación de alto riesgo e incluso terminar en una muerte violenta.

Durante un episodio de estrés elevado, las personas suelen disminuir su capacidad de razonamiento Esa es la advertencia de la psicóloga Eiline Vásquez, quien explicó a Infobae que, durante episodios de estrés al volante las personas no son capaces de razonar y reaccionan con mayor impulsividad y desconocen cómo responderá quien está al otro lado del conflicto.

Advertisement

Aunque no existe un indicador específico que contabilice las muertes provocadas por peleas de tránsito y estos hechos suelen registrarse dentro de la categoría general de accidentes o choques, diversos casos reportados por medios de comunicación evidencian que una discusión vial puede escalar hasta el uso de armas y un desenlace fatal.

Para Vásquez, el momento de mayor riesgo ocurre cuando un conductor decide abandonar la seguridad de su vehículo para confrontar a otra persona.

“Uno cree que el otro va a reaccionar igual que uno, pero no sabe quién tiene enfrente, cómo va a responder o si porta un arma”, casos que no solo suceden en Honduras, sino en otros paises de la región explicó a Infobae.

Advertisement

La especialista dijo que el enojo al conducir no surge únicamente por la congestión vehicular. El cerebro interpreta la pérdida de control sobre el tiempo y la rutina como una amenaza.

Un accidente, un bloqueo, un conductor imprudente o un embotellamiento alteran los planes del día y generan una respuesta fisiológica caracterizada por el aumento del cortisol y la adrenalina. Esa reacción incrementa el estrés, reduce la capacidad de análisis y favorece las respuestas impulsivas.

“Cuando sentimos que estamos perdiendo el control, el cerebro interpreta esa situación como una amenaza y reaccionamos con mayor irritabilidad”, señaló.

Advertisement
El tránsito activa una respuesta fisiológica con aumento de cortisol y adrenalina, lo que incrementa el estrés y favorece reacciones impulsivas.
La psicóloga Eilin Vásquez alerta que bajarse del auto para reclamar eleva el riesgo de una agresión

La especialista insistió en que intentar “educar” a otros conductores puede convertirse en una decisión peligrosa.

“¿Quiero tener la razón o quiero llegar vivo a mi casa?”, planteó como una pregunta que cada conductor debería hacerse antes de reaccionar impulsivamente.

Su recomendación es practicar el autocontrol, reconocer cuándo el enojo proviene de tensiones personales y recordar que ninguna discusión de tránsito vale más que regresar con seguridad al hogar.

La psicóloga aseguró que, en muchos casos, el tránsito solo expone problemas que la persona ya venía acumulando.

Advertisement

Preocupaciones económicas, conflictos familiares, exceso de responsabilidades o situaciones laborales hacen que cualquier estímulo, incluso un simple pitazo, termine desbordando emocionalmente al conductor.

“El tráfico es la gota que derrama el vaso de todo lo que la persona ya venía cargando”, explicó.

¿Por qué insultamos cuando manejamos?

Otro fenómeno frecuente es que muchas personas expresan insultos o gritan mientras conducen, incluso cuando fuera del vehículo suelen mantener la calma.

Advertisement
El tránsito activa una respuesta fisiológica con aumento de cortisol y adrenalina, lo que incrementa el estrés y favorece reacciones impulsivas.
La psicóloga Eiline Vásquez alerta que bajarse del auto para reclamar eleva el riesgo de una agresión

Según Vásquez, esto ocurre porque el automóvil genera una sensación de anonimato y protección. Al conducir solos, las personas sienten que nadie las observa ni las juzga, lo que facilita descargar la frustración sin consecuencias inmediatas.

Sin embargo, esa barrera desaparece en el momento en que alguien decide bajarse del vehículo para enfrentar a otro conductor.

Aunque las autoridades hondureñas no contabilizan por separado las muertes derivadas de discusiones entre conductores, la especialista advierte que cualquier confrontación en carretera incrementa el riesgo de violencia.

Así mismo Infobae consulto con la Dirección Nacional de Vialidad y Transporte datos sobre estos acontecimientos, sin embargo, no cuenta con una categoría específica sobre muertes derivadas de discusiones entre conductores. Los casos suelen quedar registrados como accidentes de tránsito u homicidios, dependiendo de cómo evolucionen los hechos, lo que dificulta dimensionar cuántos incidentes de “ira al volante” terminan en lesiones o muertes.

Advertisement

Continue Reading

INTERNACIONAL

Family shattered after 3-time deported illegal immigrant allegedly blew through stop sign, roiling House race

Published

on


NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

A sprawling, 25-county congressional district more than 2,000 miles from the Mexican border was thrust into the national immigration spotlight this month after a 6-year-old girl was killed in a crash allegedly caused by a three-time deported illegal immigrant with a history of driving while intoxicated.

Advertisement

The economy usually dominates politics in North Carolina’s 1st congressional district, which consistently ranks among the nation’s poorest districts by poverty rate. But, that changed after six-year-old Calli Toler was pronounced dead after a wreck allegedly caused when Mexican national Jaime Santiago Corona ran a stop sign west of Vanceboro last week – just a mile from the district line.

The illegal immigration crisis has been «hitting home … in North Carolina, when you saw fentanyl dealers being caught, you saw terrorists being caught,» Laurie Buckhout of Edenton, a retired Iraq War battalion commander and the Republican candidate seeking a rematch against incumbent Democratic Rep. Don Davis of Snow Hill, in what is now a slightly Republican-leaning; formerly Democrat-leaning swing district.

THREE-TIME DEPORTED ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CHARGED WITH KILLING NORTH CAROLINA GIRL, 6, AFTER RUNNING STOP SIGN

Advertisement

Rep. Donald Davis, D-N.C., left; Col. Laurie Buckhout [Ret.], right. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

«It has continued because, under the Biden administration with Don Davis’ oversight, you allowed so many illegals in the country [and] just a little bit ago, an illegal alien blew through a stop sign and killed a little girl,» Buckhout said in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital.

Davis, who is also a retired military officer, said in a statement that he supported the Laken Riley Act, adding federal immigration laws must be enforced to ensure «safe communities» for Carolinians. He said Corona was driving on a revoked license when he crashed into the Tolers on Warren Jones Road near US-17.

Advertisement

ABIGAIL SPANBERGER’S VIRGINIA A ‘HOTBED’ FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CRIME, DHS SAYS AFTER LATEST RAPE CHARGE

ICE agents surround suspects in Richmond.

ICE agents surround suspects during a raid in the South. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

Buckhout said Toler’s mother and sister survived after being treated at a Greenville hospital, adding that despite the Trump administration trying to crack down on illegal immigration, the repercussions of prior years’ leniency «continues to happen,» she said.

Corona was deported in 2019, 2023 and 2024 and re-entered illegally a fourth time before the Vanceboro crash, according to DHS. He also has a criminal record that includes DUI charges, DHS Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said.

Advertisement

OKLAHOMA STATE BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION STAFF ATTORNEY UNDER REVIEW AFTER VIDEO OF ANTI-ICE TIRADE

From Murphy to Manteo, US-64 is North Carolina's longest roadway.

Signage greets travelers entering North Carolina on US-64 at the Tennessee State Line near Hothouse, marking the beginning of the Tarheel State’s longest highway, as the mileage indicates. (Charlie Creitz)

Pitt County authorities, who have custody of Corona, indicated they plan to cooperate with ICE.

Buckhout said President Donald Trump’s «America First» agenda and DHS’ mass deportation actions have gone a long way to stem the tide of cases like the Tolers’, but that if elected she would push for higher pay for agents, and improved technology at the Mexican border like funding for sensors and other tools the feds can use to secure the homeland.

Advertisement

«We need to support them more… More technology, more access roads going down to the border so that they can access the border safely. We need to let them safely do their jobs with every technology available,» Buckhout said.

«The safety of the American people depends upon it. You don’t have sovereignty without a border. I mean, that’s just the bottom line.»

Buckhout also pointed to two other illegal immigrants’ cases in the district – the arrest of Jose Valdez-Masias on homicide charges near Warrenton and Josue Cano-Landero on child fondling and strongarm rape charges in the Inner Banks.

Advertisement

She also returned to the importance of reviving the economy in her area, noting that jobs are as important as national security for the people of NC-1.

«We need to protect our food sources, protect our farmers, protect our fishermen. And once again, build up the economy from the ground up because the Democrats have been ignoring it for so long,» she said – as inland NC-1 is historically significant in the tobacco and peanut industries while the coastal areas are home to key fishing areas.

A spokesperson for Davis’ campaign countered that the Democrat’s record «speaks for itself» in his expected-to-be-tight race against Buckhout.

Advertisement

«Laurie Buckhout seems to be increasingly bothered by the resources Congressman Davis continues to deliver for ENC, and was most recently perturbed by the fact that he is fighting for a local hospital to be reopened in Martin County,» the spokesperson said.

SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER

«Congressman Davis will continue to do what he does best: fight for and be a voice for the people of Eastern North Carolina.»

Advertisement

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Fox News Digital reached out to Biden for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano contributed to this report.

Advertisement

north carolina, immigration, deportation, illegal immigrants, migrant crime, elections, economy, crime

Advertisement
Continue Reading

INTERNACIONAL

Iran-backed terror proxy Houthis threaten fresh attacks after Yemen airport strike

Published

on


NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

The U.S.-designated terrorist Houthi movement that controls northern Yemen condemned Saudi Arabia for allegedly targeting the Sanna airport with airstrikes, sparking a possible new front with Iran’s terror-proxy.

Advertisement

While the Houthis agreed to a 2022 truce with the Saudi-led coalition that opposes its rule, the Houthis have frequently disrupted commercial shipping in the Red Sea since they joined Hamas following its invasion of Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. The latest flare up of military strikes could lead to a resumption of war between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Houthis.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree called the attacks «blatant aggression» and said they had ended a period of de-escalation. He said Saudi Arabia would bear the consequences and that the attack would not go unanswered. The Houthis threatened to strike King Khalid Airport in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. Iran’s Press TV reported on its X account that, «Iran condemns Saudi attack on Sana’a airport as breach of law, Yemen sovereignty.»

US CLAWS BACK KEY CONCESSION TO IRAN AFTER FRESH ATTACKS ON COMMERCIAL SHIPS IN STRAIT OF HORMUZ

Advertisement

Smoke rises following an airstrike at Sanaa International Airport, in Sanaa, Yemen, July 13, 2026, in this screengrab taken from a video. (Al Masirah Handout via Reuters)

The official slogan of the Houthi movement (Ansar Allah) is: «God is great, Death to America, Death to Israel, Curse upon the Jews, Victory to Islam.»

Earlier on Monday, the government’s defense ministry said the runway ⁠at Sanaa International Airport had been targeted to prevent an Iranian plane from landing. An armed forces spokesman later said the aircraft had landed at Houthi-controlled ​Hodeidah airport.

Advertisement

Salman Al-Ansari, a prominent Saudi geopolitical analyst, told Fox News Digital, «The Iranian-backed Houthi militia is now in a desperate position, attempting to demonstrate its usefulness to its Iranian masters amid the ongoing U.S.-Iran war.»

Yemen's Houthi supporters brandish weapons and shout anti-U.S. and Israel slogans during a demonstration staged to show solidarity with Iran on April 3, 2026 in Sana'a, Yemen.

Yemen’s Iran-backed armed Houthi group has warned they will move to shutter the Bab Al-Mandeb Strait through missile-drone attacks if Gulf nations join the US-Israel war on Iran.  (Mohammed Hamoud/Getty Images)

He said, «This is an action taken by Yemen’s legitimate government in response to the violation of its airspace and sovereignty. It was not carried out by Saudi Arabia or the coalition. Yemeni forces struck the runway at Sana’a International Airport after the terrorist Houthi militia defied international law by allowing unauthorized Iranian flights into Yemen, despite measures intended to prevent the smuggling of weapons and explosives.»

According to Al-Ansari, «The Houthis know that these flights can land normally if they follow the agreed-upon route through a Jordanian airport, for inspection purposes. The Houthis are currently at one of their weakest points, particularly after Yemen’s legitimate government consolidated effective authority over 80% of the country’s territory. This is a marked departure from the past, when the legitimate government was fragmented between two rival camps.»

Advertisement

ISRAELI AMBASSADOR WARNS IRAN’S GRIP ON LEBANON IS A ‘WARNING SIGN’ FOR MIDDLE EAST PEACE

A Houthi rebel fighter fires in the air during a gathering aimed at mobilizing more fighters for the their movement, in Sanaa, Yemen, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2019. The conflict in Yemen began with the 2014 takeover of Sanaa by the Houthis, who drove out the internationally-recognized government. Months later, in March 2015, a Saudi-led coalition launched its air campaign to prevent the rebels from overrunning the country's south. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)

A Houthi rebel fighter fires in the air during a gathering aimed at mobilizing more fighters for the their movement, in Sanaa, Yemen, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2019. The conflict in Yemen began with the 2014 takeover of Sanaa by the Houthis, who drove out the internationally-recognized government. Months later, in March 2015, a Saudi-led coalition launched its air campaign to prevent the rebels from overrunning the country’s south. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Israel, Lebanon and other Sunni Gulf countries have expressed concerns about the Iranian regime’s plan to establish a so-called «Shiite crescent» that stretches from Iran to Lebanon and includes such terrorist proxies as the Houthis and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Al-Ansari noted that «By confronting the Houthis, Yemen’s legitimate government is not only defending its own sovereignty; it is helping safeguard the region and the wider world from Iran’s network of terrorist proxies.»

Advertisement

Nadwa Al-Dawsari, an expert on Yemen and an associate fellow at the Middle East Institute, told Fox News Digital that, «The Houthis’ warning that the strike on Sana’a airport ‘will not go unanswered’ should be taken seriously. But the significance of the incident extends well beyond the prospect of retaliation.

She said, «The dispute was never really about civilian aviation or simply returning a Houthi delegation from Tehran. The Yemeni government had agreed to facilitate the delegation’s return aboard a Yemenia aircraft. The issue was the Iranian aircraft itself.»

Houthi fighters trample U.S.,UK flags

Houthi terrorists walk over British and U.S. flags at a rally in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, and the recent Houthi strikes on shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden on Feb. 4, 2024, on the outskirts of Sana’a, Yemen.  (Mohammed Hamoud/Getty Images)

She added that «By proceeding with the Mahan Air flight despite Yemeni objections and ensuring that it reached Houthi-controlled Yemen anyway, Iran and the Houthis were sending a political message: Tehran intends to normalize direct and public ties with Houthi-controlled Yemen and is willing to challenge the restrictions that have governed access to the country since 2015.»

Advertisement

The U.S. government sanctioned Mahan Air for its role in supplying weapons and technology to terrorist groups such as Hezbollah. 

Al-Dawsari said, «What we are increasingly seeing is a pattern in which Iran and its proxies create facts on the ground, betting that regional and international actors have little appetite for escalation and will eventually adjust to them. We have seen the same approach in the Strait of Hormuz.»

Houthis mourn Ali Khamenei

Pro-Iran protesters brandish billboards depicting the Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei, flags of Yemen and Iran, weapons, and chant slogans as they take part in a rally held to condemn the US-Israel aerial attacks on Iran and killing the Iranian supreme leader and several military officials on March 1, 2026 in Sana’a, Yemen.  (Mohammed Hamoud/Getty Images)

She said, «The episode also highlights the Houthis’ growing importance within Iran’s regional network. While other members of the Axis of Resistance have been weakened in recent years, the Houthis have emerged as Tehran’s most capable and strategically important partners, particularly in the Red Sea and the Horn of Africa.»

Advertisement

According to Reuters, the Saudi ​government’s communication office did not immediately respond to the accusations.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Muhammad Al-Farah, a member of the Houthi Political Bureau, wrote on Telegram, according to the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), that the alleged Saudi attack will lead to the Bab al-Mandab Strait joining the Strait of Hormuz with respect to disruption and possible closure. As a result, the price of a barrel of oil will rise to $200 and the attacks give the Houthis a reason to «strike back and liberate Yemen from occupation.»

Advertisement

Fox News Digital sent press queries to the State Department and the White House.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Advertisement



war with iran, saudi arabia, terrorism, conflicts

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Tendencias