Rome: A major spat has broken out between Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni and US president Donald Trump over a photograph at the recent G7 Summit in France.
Meloni, on Friday, hit back at Trump after he claimed that she had “begged” him for a photograph during the summit. Expressing shock at at his remarks, she called his account “completely made up”.
In a clear escalation of the situation, Italy’s foreign minister Antonio Tajani cancelled a planned trip to the United States and condemned Trump’s comments as an insult to his country.
Trump, while speaking to Italian television channel La7, claimed Meloni had desperately sought a photograph with him during the G7 gathering in France.
Trump said Meloni “wanted a picture with me so badly” that he agreed only because he “felt sorry for her,” according to a transcript provided by the broadcaster, AFP reported.
A 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, as reported by Hindustan Times.
“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, Reuters reported.
“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,” the US president went on to say.
A dubbed version of the interview was aired by La7 and the original audio was not released.
These remarks clearly infuriated Meloni and she 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.
The Italian leader then delivered her sharp rebuke, declaring: “There is one thing he should remember: neither I nor Italy ever beg.”
It is clear that the matter has sparked off a diplomatic row, with Tajani announcing that 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.
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, began to deteriorate 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.
