Le Pen backs Meloni, criticizes Trump

Marine Le Pen, the leader of France's far-right National Rally, has voiced her support for Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni after a public spat with U.S. President Donald Trump.

The dispute began when Trump sarcastically claimed Meloni had "begged" him for a photo at the G7 summit and accused her of leveraging their relationship for domestic political gain. Meloni firmly rejected these claims, calling them fabrications and telling Trump to focus on his own issues.

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He was extremely insulting, which is why I completely understand Meloni's reaction, who is defending the national dignity of her country.

Speaking on France Culture radio, Le Pen stated, "He was extremely insulting, which is why I completely understand Meloni's reaction, who is defending the national dignity of her country." She clarified that while this might not signal a definitive break between the U.S. and Italy, it undoubtedly represents a severe cooling of personal relations between the two leaders.

Despite many in her party previously admiring Trump, Le Pen maintains a traditional French stance of distance from the United States. She noted that in international relations, "there are no friends, only interests." Le Pen acknowledged Trump as a symbol of political decisiveness that Europe has lacked for decades but criticized him for acting contrary to his foreign policy promises, particularly regarding Iran, which she believes widened the gap between the U.S. administration and European far-right parties.

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In international relations, there are no friends, only interests, which sometimes converge and sometimes clash.