Meloni and Trump trade insults over photo claim as Italy airbase row escalates

The trigger: a photo request at the G7

The dispute began when Donald Trump gave a telephone interview to Italian channel La7 on Friday 19 June, following the G7 summit in Évian, France. In it, Trump alleged that Giorgia Meloni had 'begged' him to take a photo with her. He claimed he felt sorry for her and that she wanted the image 'so much'. Italian media had earlier published a photo of the two leaders sitting on a sofa, deep in conversation.

Meloni hits back and Italy rallies

Within hours, Meloni posted a video on X, recorded on the sidelines of an EU summit in Brussels, denouncing Trump's account as 'completely fabricated'. 'I am shocked,' she said, adding that she did not understand why the US president behaved this way towards his allies. The video drew millions of views. In Italy, a wave of solidarity followed: President Sergio Mattarella publicly backed Meloni, opposition figures expressed support, and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani cancelled a planned weekend visit to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Miami.

Italy and I never beg.

Trump doubles down, linking to airbase refusal

On Saturday, Trump escalated the row on his Truth Social platform. He repeated that Meloni had asked him 'over and over' for a picture and linked her alleged popularity decline to Rome's refusal to allow the US Air Force to use the Sigonella base in Sicily during the military campaign against Iran. 'She refused to allow us to use Italian runways,' he wrote, calling it a major logistical problem. He added that now, after the US had 'defeated Iran militarily', Meloni wanted to be friends again to raise her numbers.

Now after the United States defeated Iran militarily, she wants to be friends again in order to get her 'numbers up' – No thanks!!!

Meloni's reply and domestic calculus

Meloni responded on Instagram in English, calling Trump's attacks 'senseless'. She countered that being his friend 'certainly didn't help my popularity' and that her standing depended on how she defended Italy's national interests – which, she said, she had always done, including over the use of military bases. She closed by telling Trump to focus on his own polls. The exchange comes as Meloni prepares for a re-election battle in which her closeness to Trump has become a liability, and Italian opinion polls show her party still leading despite the president's claims.

This attack was personal, implying a lack of dignity. But she does not see this as some petty personal issue. It's a matter of honour, and honour, for a nationalist, is political.

Diplomacy at kindergarten level

Commentators across the press described the spat as 'childish' and 'unworthy of world leaders'. The escalation drew in wider grievances: the airbase ban, Trump's earlier criticism of Pope Leo 14, and tensions over NATO burden-sharing. The timeline below captures the rapid-fire exchanges.