Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni fired back at President Donald Trump on Friday after he claimed she had “begged” to take a photograph with him during the Group of Seven summit in France earlier this week.
“Donald Trump’s statements are completely fabricated,” Meloni said in a video statement translated from Italian. “I am frankly appalled. I don’t know why the president of the United States behaves this way towards his allies; after all, it’s not the first time it’s happened.”
“I can only say it’s a pity that he doesn’t show the same determination with the enemies of the West, with the enemies of the United States, with leaders towards whom he instead proves to be much more accommodating,” she added.
The dispute threatened to deepen tensions between the two leaders, who had previously maintained a close relationship despite policy disagreements. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani announced he was canceling a planned trip to the United States next week following Trump’s remarks.
“The serious and offensive words of President Trump towards Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni offend the whole of Italy,” Tajani wrote on X while announcing the cancellation.
Trump made the comments during an interview with Italian television channel La7.
“She’s probably happy I talked to her. I didn’t have to talk to her,” Trump said, according to La7.
Asked about Italy’s prime minister, Trump went on to claim that Meloni had sought a photograph with him at the summit.
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“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,” Trump said.
Meloni was once among Trump’s strongest supporters in Europe and was the only European Union head of state to attend his 2025 inauguration. The relationship, however, has cooled in recent months. Earlier this year, Meloni criticized Trump for attacking Pope Leo XIV over the pontiff’s condemnation of the Iran conflict, prompting a sharp response from the U.S. president, who accused the Italian leader of lacking courage.