Listen to the article
Fact Check: Trump Did Not Claim U.S. and Italy Were Allies Since Ancient Rome
A long-circulating claim that former U.S. President Donald Trump once stated the United States and Italy have been allies since ancient Rome has been debunked as false. Despite years of social media posts featuring images of a purportedly stunned Italian interpreter, the assertion misrepresents Trump’s actual remarks during a 2019 joint press conference.
During a meeting with Italian President Sergio Mattarella on October 16, 2019, Trump actually said: “The United States and Italy are bound together by a shared cultural and political heritage dating back thousands of years, to ancient Rome.” He continued by noting Italian contributions to civilization through “magnificent work of art, science, philosophy, architecture, music,” before mentioning Christopher Columbus.
The misinterpretation appears to stem from Trump’s reference to a heritage “dating back thousands of years,” which some social media users conflated with a claim about a millennia-long alliance. This interpretation is historically impossible, as the United States wasn’t established until 1776, while Italy only achieved unification in the 19th century and didn’t become a republic until the 1940s.
Trump’s actual statement about shared political and cultural heritage has historical validity. Scholars widely acknowledge the influence of the Roman Republic on America’s founding principles and governmental structure. The Founding Fathers drew significant inspiration from Roman political institutions when designing the U.S. constitutional system.
The viral images allegedly showing the interpreter’s reaction to Trump’s supposed gaffe weren’t even captured during the press conference. Getty Images confirms the photographs were taken earlier that same day during a separate meeting in the Oval Office. The interpreter, identified as Elisabetta Savigni Ullmann, became the subject of speculation as social media users analyzed her facial expressions.
Some of the circulating images appear to be digitally enhanced versions of original photographs, with exaggerated facial expressions and smoother textures. This visual manipulation likely contributed to the spread of the false narrative.
The mischaracterization of Trump’s remarks represents a pattern of misleading claims about the former president’s statements on international relations. A related false claim from the same event alleged Trump referred to President Mattarella as “President Mozzarella,” which was also debunked in 2019.
This incident highlights how easily misinterpreted statements can take on a life of their own in the social media ecosystem. Despite being repeatedly fact-checked in 2019 and subsequent years, the claim continues to circulate across multiple platforms including X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.
The persistence of this false claim demonstrates how compelling narratives, particularly those reinforced with seemingly expressive images, can override factual accuracy in social media discourse. It also shows the challenges fact-checkers face in permanently correcting misinformation once it has spread widely across digital platforms.
For clarity, while the United States and Italy do maintain a strong diplomatic relationship today, with formal relations established after Italian unification, any suggestion of an alliance dating back to ancient Rome remains historically impossible and was never actually claimed by former President Trump.
Fact Checker
Verify the accuracy of this article using The Disinformation Commission analysis and real-time sources.
14 Comments
This is a well-researched fact check on Trump’s statements about the US-Italy relationship. It’s important to get the details right, even if the original phrasing was a bit ambiguous. Glad to see a balanced, fact-based take on this issue.
Interesting fact check on Trump’s remarks about the US-Italy alliance. It’s important to get the details right, even if his phrasing was a bit ambiguous. The shared cultural and political heritage does go back centuries, but the formal alliance is more recent.
Really appreciate the detailed fact check on this claim about Trump’s statements on the US-Italy relationship. It’s easy for political rhetoric to get exaggerated or misinterpreted, so having a reliable source to turn to is invaluable. Glad to see the nuance and historical context provided.
This is a well-researched and thoughtful fact check on the claims around Trump’s remarks about the US-Italy alliance. It’s great to see a nuanced, historical perspective that provides important context, rather than just dismissing the claim outright. Appreciate the level of detail here.
This is a good clarification on Trump’s statements. It’s easy for social media to distort and exaggerate political comments, so it’s helpful to have a fact-based analysis. The US-Italy relationship is long and complex, with roots in ancient Rome as Trump noted, even if the modern alliance is more recent.
Solid fact check on the claims around Trump’s remarks about the US-Italy alliance dating back to ancient Rome. It’s helpful to have the nuance and context, even if social media distortions have taken on a life of their own. Appreciate the thorough analysis here.
Nicely done fact check on the Trump claim about the US-Italy alliance dating back to ancient Rome. It’s important to get the details right, even if the original phrasing was a bit ambiguous. Good to see a balanced, evidence-based analysis that cuts through the social media noise.
Good to see a detailed fact check on this claim. Trump’s remarks about the shared heritage between the US and Italy dating back to ancient Rome were accurate, even if some interpretations went too far in claiming a millennia-old alliance. History is nuanced, and fact-checking helps cut through the noise.
This fact check provides helpful context around Trump’s statements about the US-Italy relationship. It’s important to understand the distinction between shared cultural heritage and a formal political alliance, even if the phrasing was ambiguous. Appreciate the balanced analysis here.
Thorough fact check on the Trump claim about the US-Italy alliance dating back to ancient Rome. It’s valuable to have a reliable source that can cut through the social media distortions and provide the necessary historical context. Good to see a balanced, evidence-based analysis on this issue.
Solid fact check on the statements around Trump’s remarks about the US-Italy relationship. It’s important to get the details right, even if the original phrasing was a bit ambiguous. Appreciate the nuanced, historical perspective provided here to cut through the noise.
Fact-checking is so important, especially when it comes to political statements that can be easily misconstrued. This breakdown of Trump’s remarks on the US-Italy relationship provides helpful context and nuance. Good to have a reliable source to turn to on these issues.
Appreciate the in-depth fact check on Trump’s comments about the US-Italy alliance. It’s easy for political rhetoric to get twisted, so having a clear-eyed analysis is valuable. The shared heritage is real, even if the modern alliance is more recent.
Interesting to see the details behind this claim about Trump and the US-Italy alliance. Glad to have a fact-based breakdown that clarifies the actual remarks versus the social media distortions. History is complex, so nuanced analysis is valuable.