Giorgia Meloni, the Italian Prime Minister, swiftly refuted President Donald Trump’s assertion that she had “begged” him for a photograph at the recent Group of Seven summit. Meloni described Trump’s remarks as “totally fabricated.” The exchange began when Trump told Italian broadcaster La7 that Meloni had pleaded for a photo at the summit of industrialized nations in Evian-les-Bains, France.
Trump stated, “She begged me to take a photo with her. She wanted a photo with me so badly— I could have skipped it, but I felt sorry for her.” Meloni, visibly affected by this claim, responded by expressing her shock and questioned Trump’s approach to international relations. She suggested that he treats longstanding Western allies with less respect than their adversaries, saying, “I don’t know why the president of the United States behaves this way with his own allies. It’s not, after all, the first time this has happened.” She seemed to reference a past interview where Trump criticized her stance on the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran.
The clash continued as Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani condemned Trump’s remarks as “serious” and “offensive” to Italy. Tajani announced the cancellation of his upcoming U.S. visit. Footage from the G7 showed Meloni and Trump in a discussion on a small sofa, but Trump portrayed the talk as something he granted rather than desired. “She’s probably happy I talked to her. I didn’t have to talk to her,” Trump remarked without offering the original audio of the interview.
Video from the summit depicted Meloni animatedly speaking while Trump mostly listened passively. Once considered a close European ally of Trump, Meloni had attended his inauguration in January 2025, notably being the only European leader present. Trump previously praised Meloni, leader of the right-wing populist Brothers of Italy party, referring to her as a “fantastic woman” when they met at Mar-a-Lago.
However, their relationship has soured, marked by public disagreements. Earlier this year, Meloni criticized Trump after his attack on Pope Leo XIV, following the Pope’s denouncement of the Iran war. Trump retaliated by accusing Meloni of lacking courage, highlighting tensions that have fractured their former political alliance.