Against the backdrop of the deepening chill between U.S. President Donald Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Paolo Zampolli, President Donald Trump’s Special Envoy for Global Partnerships, has held up Romania as an example in the Italian press. Zampolli praised the Romania–U.S. relationship and invited Italy to follow Romania’s example.
“The only suggestion I feel I can offer is to look at other leaders whose relationship has not deteriorated, such as, for example, the Romanian president, with whom I have personally worked,” Zampolli told the Italian press.
Indeed, Romania has allowed the United States to use the Mihail Kogălniceanu military base, located near the airport in Constanța, which is currently undergoing expansion to become the largest NATO base in Europe.
Paolo Zampolli first came to Romania in August 2025 and, following his visits, developed a good relationship with President Nicușor Dan, Patriarch Daniel and other officials, including the head of the Romanian Football Federation and Sector 4 Mayor Daniel Băluță.
The Trump–Meloni Scandal Dominates the Italian Press
The scandal between Donald Trump and Giorgia Meloni is on every page of the Italian press. The first major rupture in the relationship between the two states came when Italy did not allow the Americans to use its military air bases for military operations in Iran.
As recently as the G7 Summit, held in France between June 15 and 17, Trump said that Meloni had begged him for a photograph, but that the U.S. president refused. The Italian prime minister responded by saying the claim was a lie and that “neither I nor Italy beg.”
The Relationship with Romania, Presented as an Example in the Italian Press by Trump’s Friend
Paolo Zampolli, Donald Trump’s Special Envoy for Global Partnerships and a friend of Trump for more than 30 years, held up the U.S.–Romania relationship as an example in an interview with the Italian press regarding the rupture between Trump and Meloni.
Below is the full article from La Sicilia.
The Reasons Behind the Chill: “If You Offer Friendship, You Expect Friendship”
Zampolli’s Analysis: “Italy Should Look to Romania to Know How to Act”
“If you offer friendship, you expect friendship. With other leaders, one may act out of convenience, but from someone you consider a friend — and the friendship between Trump and Meloni is not something I created — you expect friendship.”
The person decoding the mood after the social media “dissing” between the U.S. president and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is Paolo Zampolli, a personal friend of the American president for more than 30 years and currently the U.S. administration’s Special Envoy for Global Partnerships, as well as a delegate for “sports diplomacy.”
Paolo Zampolli’s words outline a severe picture, in which personal disappointment is inexorably intertwined with realpolitik.
“The president,” he explained, “has spoken, and the message he published on the social network is now the official line of the United States administration. We are no longer at the level of a conversation with a journalist, which may or may not be misunderstood. This is the official line and, at this point, it documents a clear rupture.”
Indeed, for the moment, attempts at reconciliation have been abandoned.
“Until yesterday,” Zampolli said, “I believed the issue could be resolved with a few gestures, perhaps with an invitation to the golf course alongside the president, in order to facilitate a more informal clarification. Now, however, we are faced with a carefully considered and written message, which clearly represents the line of the entire administration.”
A friendship betrayed, at least according to the magnate’s interpretation — but there is also something more.
“It is enough to read the message, which is very clear. The president expected Italy’s help during the operations in Iran, but he did not receive it. The president has done a great deal for this country and had given Prime Minister Meloni a clear political endorsement on various issues, without later receiving support in an initiative of great importance.”
For someone who has known the U.S. leader for three decades, the dynamic is entirely transparent.
“My friendship with him goes back more than 30 years, and it is clear that loyalty is king. It is the thing he values most. From friends, you expect friendship.”
“Obviously,” Zampolli reasoned, “what happened with the prime minister did not rise to the level of his expectations.”
“The only suggestion I feel I can offer is to look at other leaders whose relationship has not deteriorated, such as, for example, the Romanian president, with whom I have personally worked.”
And, indeed, Romania has allowed the United States to use the Mihail Kogălniceanu military base, located near the airport in Constanța, which is currently undergoing expansion to become the largest NATO base in Europe.
Paolo Zampolli (stânga) și președintele Nicușor Dan (dreapta)
Zampolli, pictured alongside Romanian President Nicușor Dan, nevertheless sees a ray of light in his capacity as the official responsible for sports diplomacy.
“Everyone here loves Italy, just as the president of the United States loves Italy. It would be good if Tajani still came to Miami on Sunday, where the Uruguay–Cape Verde match is scheduled. We could watch the game together, in the spirit of sports diplomacy, which could be the key to overcoming all misunderstandings.”
Zampolli, Several Visits to Romania
Paolo Zampolli first came to Romania in August 2025 and has since visited the country several times. He developed a good relationship with President Nicușor Dan, Patriarch Daniel and other officials, including the head of the Romanian Football Federation and Sector 4 Mayor Daniel Băluță.
During Nicușor Dan’s visit to the United States, Zampolli also facilitated a meeting between the Romanian president and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
A year ago, Romania’s relationship with the United States was deteriorated and the Romanian press was speaking of a genuine rupture. Now, in less than a year, the relationship has improved substantially and has come to be presented as an example at the highest level in the United States.
MAI MULT GANDUL.RO
