Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Friday accused U.S. President Donald Trump of fabricating a story about her, after Trump claimed to an Italian television network that she had “begged” him for a photograph at the recent G7 summit.
A visibly angered Meloni described the American president’s comments as “completely made up” and “astonished” her. She further chided Trump for showing greater deference to geopolitical adversaries than to established Western allies. In a swift diplomatic escalation, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani announced he was canceling his scheduled visit to the United States next week.
The public feud marks a sharp deterioration in relations, coming just days after the two right-wing leaders appeared to steady their strained ties following friction over the conflict in Iran. While G7 footage from France showed Meloni and Trump conversing cordially on a sofa, Trump characterized the interaction with striking dismissiveness in an interview with Italy’s La7 channel.
“She’s probably happy I talked to her. I didn’t have to talk to her,” Trump said, according to La7’s Italian-dubbed broadcast. “She begged me to take a picture with her… I wouldn’t have taken it, but I felt sorry for her.”
Meloni fiercely pushed back against the narrative. “I don’t know why the president of the United States behaves like this towards his allies,” she told reporters. “It is disappointing that he does not show the same determination with the enemies of the West… There is one thing he should remember: neither I nor Italy ever beg.” Backing the prime minister, Tajani stated on social media platform X that Trump’s “serious and offensive words” had insulted the entire nation.
