Italy’s Far-Right Prime Minister Slammed Trump After He Claimed She “Begged” To Take A Photo With Him
Meloni said she was astonished that Trump would invent such a story about an ally, saying, “Italy and I do not beg.”
US president Donald Trump and far-right Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni are publicly fighting after Trump claimed she “begged” him for a photo at the G7 summit.
Trump made the claim during an interview with Italian broadcaster La7 after the summit in Évian-les-Bains, France.
La7 aired a dubbed Italian translation of the interview rather than the original English audio, meaning Trump’s exact wording cannot be independently verified from the broadcast, according to AP.
In the clip, Trump said Meloni had “begged” him for a photo-op and that he had agreed because he felt sorry for her.
Meloni responded in a video posted on social media, calling Trump’s comments “completely fabricated.”
She said she was astonished that Trump would invent such a story about an ally, saying, “Italy and I do not beg.”
Italy’s foreign minister then canceled a planned trip to the US over Trump's comments, saying they were “serious and offensive” toward Meloni and all of Italy.
The spat came after months of growing tension between Trump and Meloni over Italy’s position on US and Israeli military action in Iran.
In late March, Italy refused to allow US military aircraft to land at the Sigonella air base in Sicily while they were heading towards the Middle East.
Trump escalated the row again on Saturday, June 20, posting on Truth Social that Meloni wanted to repair relations with the US to improve her popularity.
He misspelled her name as “Gigiorgia” and claimed she wanted to be friends again to get her “numbers up.”
Trump also criticized Italy for not letting the US use “Italy’s landing strips or runways,” calling it a “great logistical inconvenience.”
Meloni responded in English on Instagram, calling Trump’s attacks “constant,” “unprovoked” and “senseless.”
“My popularity is none of your concern,” she said. “I suggest you focus on yours.”
Meloni also said Italy had respected its agreements with the US, but that those agreements “cannot be violated.”
The public fallout marks a sharp turn in the relationship between Trump and Meloni, who had been seen as one of his closest allies in Europe.
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