Meloni rejects – A public clash flared after President Donald Trump said Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni “begged” for a photograph during the G7 summit in France. Meloni called the account “completely made up,” and her government scrambled to respond after Trump’s remark
PARIS — The dispute started as a story about a photograph, but it quickly became a test of loyalty at the G7.
In a June 19 interview with La7. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said President Donald Trump’s claims about their exchange during this week’s G7 summit in France were fabricated. “Some things deserve an immediate response. Donald Trump’s statements are completely made up. I am frankly astonished,” Meloni said.
Video from the G7 summit showed Trump and Meloni speaking side by side while seated on a small couch. Trump’s account, however, turned that moment into something else.
In a phone interview with La7, Trump said, “She’s probably happy I talked to her. I didn’t have to talk to her,” referring to Meloni. He then described what Meloni wanted. “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 the television network’s translation.
Meloni responded sharply, saying she did not understand why Trump would speak this way toward allies. “I don’t know why the president of the United States behaves like this towards his allies. It is not the first time, moreover,” she said, in a translation of her remarks. “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 added: “There is one thing he should remember: neither I nor Italy ever beg.”
The White House did not respond to a request for comment on Meloni’s remarks.
The fallout did not stay confined to television interviews. On June 19, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani announced he was canceling a planned trip to the United States next week, citing Trump’s “serious and offensive” remarks about Meloni.
The exchange carried extra political weight because Trump and Meloni are aligned on the right. They had previously praised each other, but Meloni began to distance herself from Trump after the U.S. started the war in Iran. She has also criticized Trump for lashing out at Pope Leo over the war.
Trump, for his part, accused Meloni of lacking courage when he turned on her earlier. In April, he told Corriere della Sera, an Italian newspaper, “I’m shocked by her. I thought she had courage. I was wrong,” describing her stance.
The dispute now leaves both sides with a difficult choice: move past a moment over a photo. or keep turning it into a public argument about respect. alliances. and tone at the highest level of diplomacy. For Meloni. the line was drawn quickly—she says the story is false. and she insists Italy does not plead for attention. For Trump, the remark carried forward anyway, and it has now spilled into canceled travel plans and open diplomatic friction.
G7 Italy Giorgia Meloni Donald Trump White House Antonio Tajani La7 Reuters diplomacy France photo dispute