Trump-Meloni crisis deepens: ‘Neither Italy nor I ever beg’

Relations between Washington, D.C., and Rome are going through a period of tension. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni denied that she begged Donald Trump to take a photo together on the sidelines of the last G7 summit, as the president claims.

In a telephone interview with Italian television channel La7, Trump stated that Meloni had "begged" him to have his picture taken with her during the group’s meeting in Évian, France, agreeing to do so out of "pity."

Shortly after these statements came to light, the Italian prime minister posted a video on X responding that her request never took place, calling Trump’s words “completely false.”

"I don’t understand why the U.S. president behaves this way toward his own allies; this isn’t, after all, the first time," Meloni said. "I can only regret that he doesn’t show the same determination toward the enemies of the West, toward the enemies of the United States, toward leaders with whom, on the other hand, he is much more conciliatory."

“Neither Italy nor I ever beg,” the Italian prime minister declared.

Italian foreign minister cancels trip to Washington, D.C.

In the wake of this controversy, Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani announced that he was canceling his official visit to Washington, D.C.—scheduled for next week—due to the “serious and offensive” statements made by Trump.

“President Trump’s serious and offensive remarks toward Council President Giorgia Meloni offend all of Italy,” Tajani said. “For this reason, I have decided to cancel my visit to the United States scheduled for June 21 and 22.”

In recent months, what was once a close relationship between the two leaders has turned into a rift. Due to Meloni’s stance on the war against Iran—she did not want to involve Italy in the conflict—Trump took aim at the Italian prime minister.

"I'm shocked at her. I thought she had courage, but I was wrong," the president said in an interview in April. "Because she doesn’t want to help us with NATO. She doesn’t want to help get rid of a nuclear armed Iran. Very sad… She’s much different than I thought."