Trump-Meloni Row Erupts After G7 Photo Remark, Prompting Italian Backlash

U.S. President Donald Trump sparked a sharp clash with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Friday after telling an Italian TV channel that she had “begged” to pose with him at the G7 summit. In comments aired by La7, Trump said Meloni was “probably happy that I spoke to her,” added that he did not need to talk to her, and claimed she wanted a photo “so much.” The channel published dubbed audio, but not the original recording.

Meloni responded the same day in a short video posted on X, calling Trump’s remarks “completely fabricated.” She said she was stunned and did not understand why the U.S. president was behaving this way toward allies, adding that it was especially disappointing because he was not showing the same resolve toward “enemies of the West and the United States.” Her main line was blunt: “I or Italy never beg.”

The dispute quickly spilled into official Italian policy. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani announced at midday that he was canceling his planned visit to the United States next week, saying Trump’s “aggressive and harsh words” toward Meloni were an insult to all of Italy.

The backlash in Rome also came from inside Meloni’s circle. Giovanni Battista Fazzolari, a senior official in her prime minister’s office, said it was unclear whether Trump was acting intentionally or out of incompetence, but accused him of damaging the historic ties between the United States and Europe. He said Trump’s outbursts had made the United States unpopular across Europe, harming America itself as much as the continent. Matteo Salvini, leader of the League party and currently transport minister as well as Meloni’s deputy, also defended her, writing that anyone who attacks Meloni attacks “all of us.”