Meloni Rejects Trump’s Claim She ‘Begged’ for G7 Photo

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim that she “begged” him for a photo at the Group of Seven summit, calling his statements “completely fabricated” in a video Thursday.

Meloni posted the response after Trump described their G7 interaction in an interview with Italian broadcaster La7. “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,” Trump said, according to the broadcaster.

In her video, Meloni said she was stunned by the remarks. “Donald Trump’s statements are completely fabricated statements,” she said. “I am frankly stunned.”

But he must remember one thing: Italy and I never beg. — Giorgia Meloni

Meloni said the episode was not the first of its kind. “I don’t know why the president of the United States behaves this way with his allies,” she said.

Meloni also accused Trump of going easier on adversaries than on partners. She said he does not show “the same determination with the enemies of the West, with the enemies of the United States,” toward whose leadership he appears “much more compliant.”

She closed with a direct rebuttal. “But he must remember one thing: Italy and I never beg,” she said.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani canceled a planned visit to the United States in response to Trump’s remarks, according to Italian news reports. The reports differed on the trip’s dates and destination.

Meloni and Trump were seen in cordial talks days earlier at the G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains, France, held June 15 to 17.

Relations between the two governments have grown strained in recent months over the U.S.-led military campaign involving Iran and Italy’s limited support for some operations, according to news reports. Meloni’s defense of Pope Leo XIV after criticism from Trump added to the friction, the reports said.

Meloni had been viewed as the European leader closest to Trump and was the only one invited to his inauguration last year.