The Italian government pushed back hard on Friday against U.S. President Donald Trump after he claimed that Premier Giorgia Meloni had “begged” him for a photo opportunity during the recently concluded G7 summit — a rebuke that signaled Italy’s patience with Trump’s bragging had run out.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani scrapped a scheduled visit to the United States this weekend in response, describing Trump’s remarks as “serious and offensive” to both Meloni personally and to Italy as a nation.
Meloni herself took to video to fire back, calling Trump’s account “completely fabricated” and closing with a pointed declaration: “Italy and I do not beg.”
Trump made the comments during an interview that aired Friday morning on the Italian La7 television network. A La7 correspondent had originally asked Trump about the situation in Ukraine, but Trump brought up Meloni and the discussion shifted to their encounter — captured on video — at the G7 gathering in Evian-les-Bains, France. The two leaders were seen speaking together at various moments during the summit, including a one-on-one conversation on a small sofa.
According to La7, Trump said Meloni had pleaded with him for a photo, adding that he felt sorry for her and went along with it even though he wasn’t required to. The network has posted a dubbed version of the exchange online, as the original English audio was not made available.
In her video response, Meloni said she felt compelled to speak up because “certain things deserve an immediate response.”
“Donald Trump’s statements are completely fabricated. I am frankly stunned,” she said. “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.”
That last line appeared to be a reference to an April interview Trump gave to Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, in which he criticized Meloni for refusing to support the U.S.-Israel war against Iran. Meloni had stayed silent at the time, but on Friday she made clear she was done holding back.
“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,” Meloni said. “But there’s one thing he must remember: Italy and I do not beg.”
Meloni had initially worked to strengthen the long-standing relationship between Italy and the United States when Trump began his second term, positioning herself as a go-between for Washington and the European Union. She was the only EU head of state to attend his inauguration.
However, the relationship has become strained over several issues, including the U.S. military action against Iran — which Meloni has called illegal — as well as Trump’s stance on Ukraine, which Italy strongly backs. Trump’s tariffs and the strong U.S. support for Israel in the Gaza conflict have added further tension.
Italy’s Defense Minister Guido Crosetto also weighed in, rejecting Trump’s version of events and saying he could not imagine Meloni ever begging anyone for a photo, “not even under threat.”
“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,” Crosetto wrote on X. “Jokes of this kind do no good to anyone: neither to the USA, nor to Italy, nor to the alliance.”
