Italian PM Meloni Rejects Trump's Claim of 'Begging' for Photo

Rome. After US President Donald Trump claimed in an interview with an Italian television channel that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had 'begged' him for a photo, Meloni strongly objected. Expressing shock at Trump's remarks, she has created an open dispute between the two countries. Meloni called Trump's statement completely 'fabricated,' and Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has canceled his visit to the US, which was scheduled for early next week. This public dispute highlights how much the old close relationship between these two leaders has deteriorated in the months since the US decided to start a war with Iran. Earlier this week, at the G-7 summit held in Evian-les-Bains, France, Trump and Meloni were seen in close conversation. At that time, the Italian leader Meloni told reporters that her relationship was as usual and there were 'no complaints.' However, since then, Trump claimed in a phone interview with Italy's La7 TV channel, 'She begged me to take a picture with her; I felt sorry for her.' In Evian, the two leaders were captured on video multiple times in conversation on a small sofa, with Meloni smiling. Trump added, 'She is probably happy that I spoke with her.' The channel broadcast the interview with Trump's actual English voice translated into Italian. Meloni, addressing her 7 million followers on Instagram, expressed complete disbelief at Trump's words and said she was 'truly shocked.' She said, 'I don't know why the US President behaves like this with his allied nations.' She added that this was not the first time such an incident had occurred. Meloni further added, 'All I can say is that he does not show such firmness towards the enemies of the West and America, but rather appears more lenient towards those leaders, which is regrettable.' She warned Trump, 'But he needs to remember one thing: neither I nor Italy will ever beg.' The shock Meloni received from Trump's statement shows the decline in their political relationship, which appeared quite strong in the initial days. Meloni, elected in 2022, was the only European leader to attend Trump's inauguration ceremony in January 2025. Other colleagues in the European Union (EU) saw her as a strong link to the US President. However, Meloni has been openly opposing the US war with Iran.