Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Friday hit back at US President Donald Trump after he claimed she had “begged” him for a photograph during the recent G7 summit, calling his account “completely made up” and expressing shock at his remarks.
The dispute quickly escalated, with Italy’s foreign minister Antonio Tajani cancelling a planned trip to the United States and condemning Trump’s comments as an insult to the country.
The public spat marks a sharp downturn in relations between two leaders who were once seen as ideological allies and comes only days after the G7 summit appeared to show a thaw in their strained ties.
Meloni rejects Trump’s version of events
The controversy erupted after Trump, speaking to Italian television channel La7, claimed Meloni had desperately sought a photograph with him during the G7 gathering in France.
According to a transcript provided by the broadcaster, Trump said Meloni “wanted a picture with me so badly” and suggested he agreed only because he “felt sorry for her,” reported news agency AFP.
Video footage from the summit showed the two leaders engaged in an extended conversation. Trump, however, portrayed the interaction as a favour on his part.
“She’s probably happy I talked to her. I didn’t have to talk to her,” Trump was quoted by the italian channel as saying, after he himself asked the journalist about Italy’s prime minister, reported Reuters.
He went further, saying: “She begged me to take a picture with her. She wanted a picture with me so badly. I wouldn’t have taken it, but I felt sorry for her.”
La7 aired a dubbed version of the interview and did not release the original audio.
‘Neither I nor Italy ever beg’
Meloni forcefully rejected Trump’s account, saying she was taken aback by the comments. “Donald Trump’s statements are completely made up. I am frankly astonished. I don’t know why the president of the United States behaves like this towards his allies: it is not the first time, moreover,” she said.
“I can only say it is disappointing that he does not show the same determination with the enemies of the West and of the United States, whose leaders he instead treats with far greater indulgence,” Meloni added.
She then delivered her sharp rebuke, declaring: “There is one thing he should remember: neither I nor Italy ever beg.”
Italian foreign minister cancels US trip
The fallout extended beyond the war of words between the two leaders. Italian foreign minister Antonio Tajani announced he was scrapping a scheduled visit to the United States on June 21 and 22.
“The grave and offensive words of President Trump… offend the whole of Italy,” Tajani wrote on X while confirming the cancellation.
US-Italy relations
Meloni was once among Trump’s strongest supporters in Europe. She was the only European leader to attend his 2025 inauguration and had frequently been viewed as one of his closest international partners.
Relations, however, have become increasingly strained in recent months. Meloni criticised Trump after he attacked Pope Leo over the pontiff’s condemnation of the Iran conflict, distancing herself from the US president as the war escalated.
Trump responded by accusing her of lacking courage, exposing a rift that had widened despite recent efforts to improve ties.
