President Donald Trump doubled down on his public dispute with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni over a photograph at the G7 summit in France.
“She is doing poorly in Italy with her level of popularity, possibly because she turned down the United States of America, a Country that truly loves and protects Italy, when it came to denying Iran from obtaining or developing a Nuclear Weapon,” Trump wrote on Saturday.
Trump said Meloni repeatedly asked to take a photograph with him during the Group of Seven summit in France, adding that she refused U.S. requests to use Italian airfields during military operations against Iran. He also suggested she was seeking closer ties with Washington to boost her standing at home.
Meloni pushed back against Trump on Friday, calling his comments “completely made up”.
“Neither I nor Italy ever beg,” she said. “Donald Trump’s statements are completely made up. I am frankly astonished.”
Meloni added that she was disappointed by what she described as Trump’s treatment of U.S. allies and said he had not shown the same determination toward adversaries of the West and the United States.
The exchange marked a deterioration in relations between the two leaders, just days after signs at the G7 summit suggested they had stabilized a relationship already strained by disagreements over the conflict with Iran.
Video from the summit showed Trump and Meloni sitting side by side and engaged in conversation. Trump later downplayed the interaction in remarks reported by Italian broadcaster La7, saying he had merely humored the Italian leader.
“She’s probably happy I talked to her. I didn’t have to talk to her,” Trump was quoted as saying. According to La7’s translation, Trump also said Meloni “begged” him for a photograph and that he agreed because he “felt sorry for her.” The broadcaster aired a dubbed version of the interview and did not release the original audio.
Underscoring the anger within Meloni’s government, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani announced on Friday he was canceling a planned visit to the United States next week.
The latest dispute comes after months of friction over policy toward Iran and NATO, with Trump criticizing allies he says have failed to provide sufficient support to U.S. military efforts and defense priorities.
Round out your reading
- Could a common dietary supplement accelerate Alzheimer’s?
- NY AG Letitia James gets hundreds of taunts, racial slurs in ICE public reporting portal.
- As Musk becomes the first trillionaire, historian sees warning signs.
- An experimental weight loss drug is so effective, many Americans don’t care it’s not FDA approved.
- How search engine optimization reduced Simone Biles to an ‘NFL wife’.