Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has expressed astonishment after US President Donald Trump claimed she had “begged” him for a photograph during the G7 summit, sparking an unusually public dispute between the two leaders.
Meloni dismissed Trump’s remarks as entirely “made-up”, while Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani cancelled a planned visit to the United States early next week, reports BBC.
The dispute highlights the growing strain in what was once considered a close political relationship, particularly since Trump’s decision to go to war with Iran.
Trump and Meloni were seen speaking at length during the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, eastern France, earlier this week.
Following the meeting, Meloni told reporters that their relationship remained unchanged and that there had been “no recriminations”.
However, Trump later told Italy’s La7 television channel in a phone interview: “She begged me to take a photo with her; I felt sorry for her.”
The two leaders appeared together several times during the summit, including in footage showing them engaged in conversation on a small sofa while Meloni smiled as they talked.
“She’s probably happy I spoke to her,” Trump added. Although La7 broadcast the comments in Italian voiceover, it did not air Trump’s original English remarks.
Meloni responded in a brief address to her seven million Instagram followers, saying she was “frankly stunned”.
“I don’t know why the US president behaves this way towards allies,” she said, adding that it was not the first time such an incident had occurred.
“I can only say it is regrettable he does not show the same determination towards the enemies of the West and towards the enemies of the US – [enemies] whose leaders he instead appears to be far more accommodating with.”
“But there is one thing he needs to remember: neither I nor Italy ever beg.”
The BBC said it had approached the White House for comment.
Meloni’s reaction follows a series of disagreements that have weakened ties between the two leaders.
After taking office in 2022, Meloni became the only European leader to attend Trump’s inauguration in January 2025. Many European Union leaders viewed her as a potential bridge between Europe and the US president.
Relations later deteriorated as Meloni openly opposed the US war with Iran. In April, Trump criticised her during a phone interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, saying, “I thought she had courage, but I was wrong”.
Meloni also condemned Trump’s criticism of Pope Leo XIV after he described the pontiff as “weak on crime and terrible on foreign policy”.
Following Trump’s latest remarks, Italian President Sergio Mattarella reportedly called Meloni to offer his support.
Politicians from across Italy’s political spectrum also rallied behind her.
Filippo Sensi, a senator on the left from the opposition Democratic Party, said no-one had the right to speak to an Italian prime minister in such an arrogant manner.
Five Star Movement leader Giuseppe Conte said Italy did not deserve such humiliation and argued that seeking favour with Washington should never come at the expense of national dignity and interests.
From Meloni’s own Brothers of Italy party, Senate group leader Lucio Malan noted that Trump’s words were part of a broader pattern of offensive remarks he had directed at various European leaders, and they were damaging above all to Trump’s own image and authority.
Malan also suggested that footage from the G7 summit presented a very different picture from the one Trump described.
He added that Trump may have been frustrated by Meloni’s willingness to oppose Washington when necessary. Matteo Salvini, leader of the League and a government ally, voiced his support, saying: “Whoever attacks Giorgia, attacks all of us.”
The disagreement reflects a wider shift in transatlantic relations.
European leaders who once sought to accommodate Trump have increasingly challenged him on a range of issues.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has criticised Trump over his comments regarding British and allied forces in Afghanistan.
More recently, several European leaders, including Meloni, criticised Trump’s war on Iran and declined to allow US bombers to operate from their military bases.
Diplomats say European governments have become more determined to assert their independence since the United States threatened Greenland earlier this year.
Discussions about Europe pursuing a more strategically autonomous path have gained momentum, with governments seeking to reduce reliance on what many now view as an increasingly unpredictable ally across the Atlantic.
Political analysts also suggest that European leaders are responding to changing public sentiment ahead of elections across the continent.
Several right-wing European parties that once regarded Trump’s movement as a natural political ally have increasingly begun distancing themselves from their American counterparts.
