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Continuing a crisp speech of words implicit a photograph, U.S. President Donald Trump connected Saturday (June 20, 2026) said that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni “asked, implicit and over, for a picture” with him astatine the G7 Summit successful France past week.
The U.S. President besides lashed retired astatine the Italian PM, saying she “wants to beryllium friends again successful bid to get her ‘numbers up’, aft the United States defeated Iran militarily”
Mr. Trump’s rebuke comes a time aft Ms. Meloni accused her one-time adjacent state of fabricating a communicative about her, claiming that she had “begged” him to instrumentality a photograph with her astatine the G7 summit. Ms. Meloni, successful a video station connected societal media, said she was “astonished” by his comments, which were “completely made up”.
The latest speech marks a crisp deterioration successful ties, coming conscionable days aft signs emerged astatine the G7 Summit that the 2 right-wing leaders had steadied a antecedently strained narration pursuing tensions this twelvemonth implicit the warfare connected Iran.
In a station connected his Truth Social platform, Mr. Trump wrote: “She is doing poorly successful Italy with her level of popularity, perchance due to the fact that she turned down the United States of America, a Country that genuinely loves and protects Italy, erstwhile it came to denying Iran from obtaining oregon processing a Nuclear Weapon (But truthful did NATO, for that matter!).”
“She wouldn’t adjacent fto america usage Italy’s landing strips oregon runways, a large logistical inconvenience, and this contempt the information the U.S. contributes hundreds of Billions of Dollars a twelvemonth to support Italy, and different “so-called” NATO Allies,” helium added.
Accusing her of extending a manus of relationship aft the latest improvement successful the U.S.-Iran deal, Mr. Trump signed of his latest connection with “No thanks!!!”.
The contention stems from Mr. Trump’s enactment with an Italian TV transmission aft the Summit successful France. “She’s astir apt happy I talked to her. I didn’t person to speech to her,” helium was quoted arsenic saying by La7 TV transmission successful a little interview, aft helium himself asked the writer astir Italy’s premier minister.
“She begged maine to instrumentality a representation with her. She wanted a representation with me truthful badly. I wouldn’t person taken it, but I felt atrocious for her,” Mr. Trump said, according to La7’s translation. The transmission did not merchandise the archetypal audio, conscionable a dubbed version.
Ms. Meloni responded connected Friday (June 19, 2026), successful a video connection which was captioned: “Neither I nor Italy ever beg”.
“Donald Trump’s statements are wholly made up. I americium frankly astonished. I don’t cognize wherefore the president of the United States behaves similar this towards his allies: it is not the archetypal time, moreover,” she said.
Ms. Meloni besides chided him for acting with acold greater deference to the enemies of the West than helium does towards old, established allies. Underscoring however overmuch Mr. Trump’s comments person angered Ms. Meloni’s government, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani announced helium was cancelling a planned sojourn to the U.S. adjacent week.
