Italy's Meloni pushes back on Trump's 'fabricated' claim as top diplomat cancels U.S. trip

Italy's government has united to condemn U.S. President Donald Trump's assertion that Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni "begged" for a photo during the recent G7 summit. The strong pushback signals that Italy, a long-standing U.S. ally, has reached its limit with Trump's public pronouncements.

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Donald Trump's statements are completely fabricated. I am frankly stunned.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani abruptly canceled a planned trip to the United States this weekend. He described Trump's claims as "serious and offensive" not only to Meloni but to all of Italy. Meloni herself released a video statement, calling Trump's remarks "completely fabricated" and expressing her disbelief that he would invent such narratives about an ally. "Italy and I do not beg," she declared firmly.

Trump made these comments during an interview broadcast Friday morning. While the initial question concerned Ukraine, Trump shifted the conversation to his meeting with Meloni at the G7 summit in France. According to the broadcaster La7, Trump alleged that Meloni had "begged" him for a photo opportunity, claiming he agreed out of pity despite not being obligated. A dubbed version of the conversation is available online.

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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.

In her video, Meloni stated she felt compelled to respond immediately because "certain things deserve an immediate response." She questioned why the U.S. president would act this way toward allies, noting it wasn't the first time. This appeared to reference a previous interview where Trump criticized Meloni's stance on the U.S.-Israel war in Iran. Unlike that instance, Meloni chose not to remain silent this time, stating, "But there's one thing he must remember: Italy and I do not beg."

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But there's one thing he must remember: Italy and I do not beg.

Relations between Italy and the U.S. have become strained, particularly over Italy's opposition to the U.S. war in Iran, which Meloni deemed illegal, and Trump's stance on Ukraine, which Italy strongly supports. Trump's past actions, including tariffs, have also been a point of contention. The White House had not immediately responded to requests for comment on Meloni's remarks.

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Trump's claims are 'serious and offensive' toward Meloni and all of Italy.