Trump Remarks Spark Diplomatic Row, Prompting Italy to Cancel Washington Trip

A sharp diplomatic dispute erupted between the United States and Italy after President Donald Trump made demeaning remarks about Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. In an interview with an Italian television channel on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France, Trump said Meloni had “begged” for a photo with him. “She wanted to take a picture with me so badly. I would not have taken a picture with her, but I felt sorry for her,” he said.

Meloni rejected the comments and called them “completely made up.” She said she was “shocked” by the remarks and did not understand “why the president of the United States is behaving this way toward his allies.” She added that Trump was being more considerate toward Western enemies than toward friendly countries and warned, “There is one thing he should remember, neither I nor Italy ever beg.”

The dispute came after months of worsening ties between Trump and Meloni, who had previously been seen as one of his closest allies in Europe. The two had even met this week for a clarifying discussion on the sidelines of the G7 in France, but Trump’s latest comments reignited the diplomatic crisis.

In response, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani cancelled a planned official visit to the United States scheduled for next week. Tajani said the move was a formal protest and wrote that Trump’s “serious and offensive” remarks toward the prime minister were an insult to all of Italy.