Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has strongly criticized US President Donald Trump’s assertion that she pleaded with him to take a photo together during the recent G7 summit. Meloni expressed disbelief at his remarks, labeling them as entirely fabricated and asserting that neither she nor Italy resorts to begging.
During an interview with Italian TV channel La7, Trump claimed, “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.” He further commented, “She’s probably happy I talked to her. I didn’t have to talk to her,” following an inquiry about Italy’s prime minister from a journalist. The broadcaster released a dubbed version of the conversation online, not the original English audio.
Footage from the summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, depicted Meloni and Trump engaged in a deep conversation while seated beside each other on a small sofa. Meloni promptly responded to the president’s remarks through a video shared on social media, denouncing Trump’s statements as baseless and expressing astonishment at his behavior towards allies.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani canceled a scheduled trip to the United States, citing Trump’s comments as “serious and offensive” towards Meloni and Italy as a whole. The Foreign Ministry also announced the cancellation of the business and scientific forum Tajani was supposed to attend in Miami.
The relationship between Trump and Meloni, previously viewed as close allies in Europe, has deteriorated over disagreements such as Trump’s military actions in Iran, which Meloni deemed unlawful. Disputes over Trump’s trade tariffs and unwavering US support for Israel in the Gaza conflict have also strained their alliance.
In a previous interview with Italian daily Corriere della Sera, Trump criticized Meloni for not endorsing the US-Israeli campaign against Iran. Meloni refrained from publicly responding at that time. Additionally, Meloni defended Pope Leo XIV when Trump criticized the pontiff. She condemned Trump’s remarks, emphasizing that as the leader of the Catholic Church, it is appropriate for the Pope to denounce all forms of warfare.
Lorenzo Castellani, a political scientist at Rome’s Luiss Guido Carli University, commented that Trump’s recent actions may have benefited Meloni by dispelling previous assumptions that she was subservient to Trump in European politics.