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Donald Trump and Giorgia Meloni at the G7 summit in Evian, France. Alamy Stock Photo
diplomatic rift
'Neither I nor Italy ever beg': Row as Meloni accuses Trump of lying about her wanting a photo
Italy’s foreign minister has cancelled a visit to the US over Trump’s “grave and offensive words”, which he said “offend the whole of Italy”.
ITALY’S FOREIGN MINISTER has cancelled a visit to the United States over reported comments by US President Donald Trump that appeared to mock Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
“The grave and offensive words of President Trump… offend the whole of Italy,” Antonio Tajani said on X. He had been due to visit the US on 21 and 22 June.
Meloni said she was “stunned” by Trump’s comments to Italian channel La7 in which, according to a transcript provided by the network, he said Meloni “wanted a picture with me so badly” at the G7 summit and he agreed only because he “felt sorry for her”.
He also suggested that Meloni might be “happy that I talked to her, I didn’t have to talk to her”.
Meloni called what Trump said “made up”, adding: “Neither I nor Italy ever beg.”
“I don’t know why the president of the United States behaves this way with his own allies,” the far-right leader wrote on X.
“I can only say that it’s a pity he doesn’t show the same determination with enemies of the West, with enemies of the United States, with leaders with whom, instead, he is far more accommodating,” she said.
Io e l’Italia non imploriamo mai. pic.twitter.com/sTpKlqWB67
— Giorgia Meloni (@GiorgiaMeloni) June 19, 2026
At the end of the G7 summit in Evian on Wednesday, Meloni had spoken of a “very positive climate” and “no friction” between Trump and other world leaders present.
Meloni has positioned herself as a bridge between Europe and the Trump administration, but the relationship came under strain during the US-Israel war on Iran.
Trump turned on Meloni in April after she defended Pope Leo XIV from his harsh criticism of the pontiff’s anti-war views.
Meloni condemned Trump’s remarks as “unacceptable”, prompting the president to turn his fire on her.
“I’m shocked at her. I thought she had courage, but I was wrong,” Trump said in an interview with Italian daily Corriere della Sera at the time. He went on to accuse Meloni of failing to help the US with Nato.
Trump has threatened to pull US troops from Italy, saying Rome “has not been of any help to us” in the Iran war.
With reporting from © AFP 2026
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