Just a few days after a reportedly conciliatory conversation on the sidelines of the G7 summit in the French spa town of Évian, US President Donald Trump has caused a stir with derisive remarks about Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
In a telephone interview with the Italian TV channel La7, Trump said that Meloni had "begged him" to have a photo taken together. He said he had agreed to this request because he felt sorry for her.
Meloni responded promptly in a video message on Instagram.
"Donald Trump’s comments are completely fabricated," she said, "To be honest, I am stunned."
"Neither I nor Italy ever beg," she added.
She said she did not know why the US president behaved this way towards allies.
The relationship between Meloni and Trump has recently suffered significantly.
The US president sharply criticized the far-right leader around two months ago, after she had described his verbal attacks on Pope Leo XIV as "unacceptable."
He had been shocked by her and felt he had been misled by her, Trump said when asked about Meloni at the time.
However, a "clarifying conversation" is said to have taken place at the G7 summit in Évian earlier this week, according to reports from Rome.
Following Trump’s latest remarks, Meloni received backing from Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani. He wrote on X that the US president’s "harsh and offensive" words directed at Meloni were an insult to the whole of Italy. For this reason, he had cancelled a visit to the US scheduled for next week
