Washington DC: The picture controversy involving two heads of state has just escalated.
US President Donald Trump on Saturday reiterated his claim that the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had repeatedly sought a photograph with him during the recent G7 Summit in France.
In a scathing post on Truth Social — after Meloni had strongly rejected Trump’s earlier claim that she “begged” him for a photograph — the US President claimed that Meloni repeat
edly requested photographs with him and alleged that her domestic popularity in Italy had declined.
“She is doing poorly in Italy with her level of popularity,” Trump wrote, adding that’s why Meloni wants to be “friends again” with the United States.
Here is Trump’s full post on Meloni and Italy, on Truth Social:
“Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni asked, over and over, for a picture with me during the G-7 meeting in France. She is doing poorly in Italy with her level of popularity, possibly because she turned down the United States of America, a Country that truly loves and protects Italy, when it came to denying Iran from obtaining or developing a Nuclear Weapon (But so did NATO, for that matter!). She wouldn’t even let us use Italy’s landing strips or runways, a great logistical inconvenience, and this despite the fact the U.S. contributes hundreds of Billions of Dollars a year to protect Italy, and other ‘so-called’ NATO Allies. Now, after the United States defeated Iran militarily, she wants to be friends again in order to get her ‘numbers up’. No thanks!!!”