Trump claims Meloni 'begged' for G7 photo; Italian PM calls story 'completely made up'

Trump's remarks on La7

In a telephone interview with La7's 'L'Aria che Tira' programme on Friday, US President Donald Trump made an unprompted and sharp attack on Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. '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, according to La7's translation. The channel did not release the original audio, only a dubbed Italian version. Trump had opened the conversation by asking the journalist 'how is your prime minister?' before steering the exchange toward the G7 summit in Evian, France, earlier in the week. 'She's probably happy I talked to her. I didn't have to talk to her,' he added.

Meloni's response

Meloni responded within hours, posting a video on Instagram from the Europa Building in Brussels, where she was attending a European Council meeting. 'Donald Trump's declarations are completely fabricated,' she said. 'Frankly, I am stunned. Italy and I never beg.' She also criticised the US president for his stance toward allies, saying: 'I don't know why the US president behaves this way towards his allies. It's not the first time it's happened, I can only say it's unfortunate he doesn't show the same determination towards the West's enemies.' Her rebuttal used unusually direct language for a sitting head of government addressing an American president.

“His declarations are completely made up. I am frankly astonished. There is one thing he should remember: neither I nor Italy ever beg.”

Italian government reacts

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani announced he was cancelling a planned visit to the United States scheduled for June 21–22, where he had been due to attend a business forum in Miami. 'The serious and offensive words of President Trump towards Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni offend the whole of Italy,' Tajani wrote on X. Defence Minister Guido Crosetto, a senior figure in Meloni's Brothers of Italy party, said he 'cannot imagine Giorgia Meloni asking anyone for a photo, not even under threat.' He added: 'Remarks of this kind do no one any good: neither the US, nor Italy, nor the alliance.' President Sergio Mattarella called Meloni personally to express his solidarity, sources said.

Broader diplomatic tensions

This exchange comes after months of strain in the US–Italy relationship. Meloni, once the only European leader invited to Trump's inauguration, drew White House criticism after Italy refused to allow the US to use an air base in Sicily for operations during the Iran war. Trump had previously accused Meloni of not being helpful and said she had 'changed.' The prime minister also defended Pope Leo XIV after Trump called the pontiff 'weak on crime' and 'terrible for foreign policy.' Days before the La7 interview, the two leaders had appeared to steady their relationship at the G7 summit in Evian, where video showed them in extended conversation on a sofa. Meloni said after that summit there were no 'recriminations' and that both sides understood each other's positions.

“I cannot imagine Giorgia Meloni asking anyone for a photo, not even under threat. I can, however, imagine how difficult it must have been for her to set aside what Trump had said weeks ago, in the interests of Italy, Europe, and the West.”

Opposition and national unity

Italy's opposition parties joined the government in condemning Trump's remarks, though some added that the incident exposed the limits of Meloni's approach toward Washington. Filippo Sensi, a senator for the centre-left Democratic Party, wrote on X: 'Solidarity with Giorgia Meloni for Trump's unspeakable words. No one is allowed to adopt such an arrogant tone.' Nicola Fratoianni of the left-wing Greens and Left Alliance (Avs) said he was unsure 'whether to be more worried about a Trump who is now without brakes, or Meloni's credibility at the international level, which is zero.' The remark drew a rare moment of cross-party unity around the prime minister's response.

What changes

Tajani's cancelled trip is the most concrete diplomatic consequence so far. The event marks a sharp deterioration from the tentative detente visible at the G7. Meloni's video statement, the presidential solidarity call from Mattarella, and the rare unified front across Italy's political spectrum suggest the incident has moved beyond a personal spat into a broader test of Italy's alliance posture. Trump has not yet commented further on Meloni's rebuttal.