Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni publicly accused President Donald Trump of making up a story about her Friday after he claimed she “begged” him for a photo at the G7 summit.
The sudden blowup marked a sharp turn in relations between two right-wing leaders who had once appeared politically aligned, but whose relationship has been strained by the war with Iran and Trump’s increasingly blunt treatment of European allies.
Trump reportedly made the remark during an interview with Italian TV channel La7 after he asked a journalist about Meloni.
“She’s probably happy I talked to her. I didn’t have to talk to her,” Trump was quoted as saying by La7 TV channel in a brief interview, after he himself asked the journalist about Italy’s prime minister.
“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 released only a dubbed version of the interview, not the original audio.
Meloni fired back in a sharply worded statement, accusing Trump of fabricating the story and warning that he was treating longtime allies worse than enemies of the West.
Meloni responded: “Donald Trump’s statements are completely made up. I am frankly astonished. I don’t know why the president of the United States behaves like this towards his allies: it is not the first time, moreover.”
“I can only say it is disappointing that he does not show the same determination with the enemies of the West and of the United States, whose leaders he instead treats with far greater indulgence,” she said, adding: “There is one thing he should remember: neither I nor Italy ever beg.”
The feud quickly escalated beyond a personal spat.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani announced he was canceling a planned trip to the United States next week, saying Trump’s remarks insulted the entire country.
Announcing the cancellation of his planned U.S. trip, Foreign Minister Tajani said on X: “The serious and offensive words of President Trump towards Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni offend the whole of Italy.”
The clash came just days after video from the G7 summit in France showed Trump and Meloni seated side by side on a small sofa, deep in conversation.
But Trump’s comments suggested he viewed the exchange less as a meeting of equals and more as a favor he had granted the Italian leader.
One of Meloni’s closest political allies also lashed out, warning that Trump was damaging America’s standing across Europe.
🚨 NOW: Italian PM Giorgia Meloni RAGES at President Trump, calling his statement that she “begged” him for a photo “completely fabricated”
TRUMP SAID: “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… pic.twitter.com/3lthLHuP6R
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) June 19, 2026
“It is unclear whether out of intent or ineptitude (Trump) is wrecking the historic relations between the United States and Europe,” Giovanbattista Fazzolari, undersecretary to the prime minister’s office, said in a statement.
“With his inappropriate outbursts, he has managed no easy feat, to make the United States unpopular across the entire European continent, damaging not only Europe but above all the United States,” he added.
Meloni had once been one of Trump’s most visible supporters in Europe and was the only European leader to attend his 2025 inauguration.
But the relationship has grown more complicated this year.
Meloni criticized Donald Trump after he lashed out at Pope Leo over the pontiff’s condemnation of the Iran conflict, prompting Trump to fire back by accusing her of lacking courage.
The latest dispute now threatens to turn a tense political relationship into a full diplomatic headache.
For Trump, the episode showed again that his America First style does not come with the usual diplomatic varnish, even when dealing with conservative allies.
For Meloni, the message was equally clear, she may share parts of Trump’s worldview, but she is not willing to be publicly humiliated for it.
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