Outrage in Italy after Trump says Meloni 'begged' for photo op

Italy reacted with anger on Friday following reports of U.S. President Donald Trump's mocking comments about Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, prompting Italy's foreign minister to cancel an upcoming visit to the United States. Meloni stated she was "frankly stunned" by Trump's remarks, which were made during a phone interview with Italian channel La7.

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begged me for a picture

According to a transcript provided to AFP, Trump claimed Meloni "begged me for a picture" at the recent G7 summit and that he agreed only because he "felt sorry for her." He also suggested Meloni was "probably happy that I talked to her, I didn’t have to talk to her." Meloni dismissed the comments as "made up," asserting, "Neither I nor Italy ever beg." She questioned why the U.S. president would behave this way toward allies, contrasting his attitude with his approach to "enemies of the West."

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x Baby, I’m yours x

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani described Trump's words as "grave and offensive" and announced the cancellation of his planned trip to the U.S. on June 21-22. Justice Minister Carlo Nordio called the comments a "painful injury" to Italy-U.S. relations, while Defense Minister Guido Crosetto remarked that "these jokes do not benefit anyone."

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Neither I nor Italy ever beg.

At the G7 summit's conclusion, Meloni had described a "very positive climate" with no "friction" among leaders, though she noted both she and Trump have "quite strong characters." This incident follows previous strains in their relationship, notably when Meloni defended Pope Francis against Trump's criticism of the pontiff's anti-war views. Trump had previously called Meloni's stance "unacceptable" and accused her of failing to support the United States with NATO, even threatening to withdraw U.S. troops from Italy.

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I don’t know why the president of the United States behaves this way with his own allies.