Italian Prime Minister (PM) Giorgia Meloni has pushed back hard after President of the United States (US) Donald Trump claimed in a TV interview that she had “begged” him for a photo, calling his remarks “made-up” and saying she was “frankly stunned”.
During a phone interview with Italian broadcaster La7, Trump said: “She begged me to take a photo with her; I felt sorry for her”. The channel did not air his original words in English, instead voicing them over in Italian.
Meloni responded directly on Instagram, where she addressed her seven million followers. “I don’t know why the US president behaves this way towards allies,” she wrote, adding that it was not the first time such an incident had occurred. “Neither I nor Italy ever beg,” she stated firmly.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani cancelled a planned trip to the US early next week after the exchange.
The two leaders had been seen together at the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, earlier this week, at one point filmed in what appeared to be an engrossed conversation on a small sofa.
Meloni told reporters after the summit that their relationship was unchanged and there had been “no recriminations”.
Meloni also took a pointed jab at Trump’s foreign policy approach, saying it was “regrettable” that he did not show “the same determination towards the enemies of the West” and that he appeared “far more accommodating” with their leaders instead.
