Italy rebukes Trump after Meloni 'begged' for G7 photo claim

Rome,UPDATED: Jun 19, 2026 18:00 IST

Italy hit back sharply on Friday after US President Donald Trump claimed that Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had "begged" him for a photograph during the recent G7 summit. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani cancelled a planned trip to the United States this weekend and called the remarks "serious and offensive" to Meloni and to Italy.

Meloni also rejected the claim in a video message, calling Trump's remarks "completely fabricated" and ending with a pointed message: "Italy and I do not beg." Her response came after Trump made the comments in an interview broadcast on the La7 network on Friday morning.

According to La7, its correspondent had asked Trump about Ukraine, but he brought up Meloni and the conversation shifted to their meeting at the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France. Meloni and Trump were filmed speaking several times during the summit, including alone on a small sofa. La7 said Trump claimed Meloni had "begged" him for a photo opportunity, and said he was not obliged to do it but agreed because he felt sorry for her. The broadcaster has put a dubbed version of the conversation online, not the original English audio.

In her video, Meloni said she was responding because "certain things deserve an immediate response." She said: "Donald Trump's statements are completely fabricated. I am frankly stunned. I don't know why the president of the United States behaves this way toward his own allies. After all, this isn't the first time this has happened."

Her remark appeared to refer to an interview Trump gave to the Italian daily Corriere della Sera in April, in which he criticised Meloni's refusal to back the US-Israel war in Iran. Meloni did not respond publicly at the time. On Friday, she said: "I can only say that it's a shame he doesn't show the same resolve toward the enemies of the West, toward the enemies of the United States - toward leaders with whom he, on the other hand, is much more accommodating. But there's one thing he must remember: Italy and I do not beg."

Meloni had initially tried to build on long-standing US-Italian ties after Trump began his second mandate and had positioned herself as a "bridge" between Washington and the European Union. She was the only EU head of state to attend his inauguration. But ties have been strained by the US war in Iran, which Meloni has called illegal, and by Trump's position on Ukraine, which Italy strongly supports. US tariffs and Washington's strong backing of Israel in its war in Gaza have also added to the tensions.

Italy's Defence Minister Guido Crosetto also criticised Trump's remarks, saying he did not believe Meloni would ever beg anyone for a photograph, "not even under threat". In a post on X, he said: "I can, however, imagine how much it cost her to set aside what Trump had said weeks ago, to serve the interests of Italy, of Europe, and of the West. Jokes of this kind do no good to anyone: neither to the USA, nor to Italy, nor to the alliance." The row marks the latest strain in ties between Meloni and Trump, with the Italian government publicly rejecting his claim and defending the country's position.

With PTI Inputs

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