Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Friday publicly hit back at US President Donald Trump after he told an Italian television channel that she had “begged” him to take a photo with her at the G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains, France.
Meloni described the claim as “completely made up” and said she was “frankly astonished” by Trump’s remarks, turning a seemingly minor summit exchange into a fresh diplomatic clash between two leaders who had once appeared politically aligned.
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La primera ministra de Italia, Giorgia Meloni, desmintió que le haya pedido una foto al presidente de Estados Unidos en la pasada Cumbre del G7 en Francia como lo declaró Donald Trump en una entrevista.
— Joaquín López-Dóriga (@lopezdoriga) June 19, 2026
"Ni yo ni Italia suplicamos nunca", advirtió la mandataria europea en sus… pic.twitter.com/tjDStyTc7n
Trump's remarks and Meloni's rebuttal
Trump made the comments in an interview with La7, saying, “She’s probably happy I talked to her. I didn’t have to talk to her,” before adding, “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.”
La7 did not release the original audio and aired only a dubbed version of the remarks. Meloni, in a video posted on social media, rejected the account point by point. “Donald Trump’s statements are completely made up. I am frankly astonished,” she said, adding, “There is one thing he should remember; neither I nor Italy ever begs."
Io e l’Italia non imploriamo mai. pic.twitter.com/sTpKlqWB67
— Giorgia Meloni (@GiorgiaMeloni) June 19, 2026
Italy's political response
The row sharpened pressure on Italy’s government. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani announced he was cancelling a planned visit to the United States next week after Trump’s comments, calling them “serious and offensive.”
Tajani, who had been due in the US on June 21 and 22, said the remarks “offend the whole of Italy.”
A close Meloni ally, Giovanbattista Fazzolari, accused Trump of damaging historic US-Europe ties, while Meloni’s response suggested she saw the issue as broader than a personal insult and as part of a wider pattern in Trump’s treatment of allies.
The wider strain in US-Italy relations
The dispute comes after signs at the G7 summit that the two leaders had steadied a previously strained relationship, following tensions earlier this year over the war in Ukraine.
Meloni was once a vocal supporter of Trump and was the only European leader to attend his inauguration in 2025 but later criticized him over his comments on Pope Leo and the Iran conflict.
A European diplomatic source viewed Meloni as one of the most forceful voices at the G7, where she challenged Trump on several points and defended Europe’s position.
For now, the episode has revived questions about how far the relationship between Rome and Washington can remain politically close while the two leaders continue to clash in public.
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FAQs
Q1: Why did Giorgia Meloni reject Donald Trump’s photo claim?
Ans: Meloni said Trump’s assertion that she “begged” for a photo at the G7 summit was “completely made up” and denied ever making such a request.
Q2: How did Italy respond to Trump’s remarks about Meloni?
Ans: Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani cancelled a planned U.S. visit, calling Trump’s comments offensive to both Meloni and Italy.
