Trump claimed that Meloni "begged" for photo with him at G7 summit: Italy’s prime minister was outraged
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim that she allegedly "begged" for a photo with him at the G7 summit. She called the White House leader’s remarks "completely made up."
This was reported by The Guardian, according to Censor.NET.
More on the diplomatic scandal between the U.S. and Italy
A diplomatic conflict erupted after Trump appeared on the Italian television channel La7 and gave his account of his conversation with Meloni at the summit.
"She's probably glad I talked to her. I didn't get to talk to her… 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." the U.S. president stated.
Italy's reaction
Meloni later posted a video message on social media, calling the American leader's words "completely made up" and stating that she was "astonished" by such behavior.
"Neither I not Italy ever beg. I don’t know why the president of the United States behaves like this towards his allies: it is not the first time. I can only say it is disappointing that he does not show the same determination with the enemies of the West and of the United States, whose leaders he instead treats with far greater indulgence", - the Italian prime minister emphasized.
The visit to the U.S. has been canceled
- Trump’s comments about Meloni outraged other Italian officials. In light of the scandal, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani announced the cancellation of his official visit to the United States, which was scheduled for June 21–22.
"The serious and offensive words of president Trump towards prime minister Giorgia Meloni offend all of Italy. For this reason, I have decided to cancel my visit to the United States," wrote Tajani on X social media.
The country's defense minister, Guido Crozetto, called this another "blunder" by Trump.
"I can't imagine Giorgia Meloni asking anyone to take a photo with her, even under duress. Instead, I can imagine how much effort it took her to dismiss what Trump said a few weeks ago, for the sake of Italy, Europe, and the West. And I can imagine how much it will cost her not to comment, as this new blunder by the U.S. president deserves," said Crozetto.
