Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni accused her one-time close ally Donald Trump of fabricating a story about her on Friday, after the U.S. president told an Italian TV channel that she had “begged” him to take a photo with her at a G7 summit.
Meloni said she was “astonished” by his comments, which were “completely made up”. She also chided him for acting with far greater deference to the enemies of the West than he does towards old, established allies.
Their pointed exchange marks a significant deterioration in ties, coming just days after signs emerged at the G7 summit that the two right-wing leaders had steadied a relationship strained by tensions over the conflict in the Middle East.
Underscoring how much Trump’s comments have angered Meloni’s government, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani pulled out of a visit to the U.S. next week. A U.S.-Italy business conference scheduled for Monday in Miami was also called off after Tajani cancelled his visit, the Italian embassy said.
The U.S. State Department did not respond when asked about Tajani’s cancelled trip.
“I FELT SORRY FOR HER”
Video from the event in France showed Meloni and Trump deep in conversation, sitting side-by-side on a small sofa, but the U.S. leader suggested he had merely been indulging her.
“She’s probably happy I talked to her. I didn’t have to talk to her,” Trump was quoted as saying by La7 TV channel in a brief interview, after he himself asked the journalist about Italy’s prime minister.
“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 La7’s translation.
A European diplomatic source said Meloni was one of the most forceful voices at the G7, openly challenging Trump on several points. The source said she firmly defended Europe’s stance, telling Trump he should stop saying he had been abandoned by Western allies, stressing that they had been supportive.
MELONI HITS BACK IN SHARPLY WORDED STATEMENT
Meloni responded swiftly to the president’s comments.
“Donald Trump’s statements are completely made up. I am frankly astonished. 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 video posted on social media.
“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 said, adding: “There is one thing he should remember: neither I nor Italy ever beg.”
In an interview with NBC News on Friday, Trump continued his criticism of Meloni.
“She was a big fan,” Trump was quoted as saying by the network. “But I don’t want her as a fan because she was not there – along with the NATO group – having to do with the strait.”
