Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni hit back at President Donald Trump after he claimed she begged for a photo with him at the G7 summit and said her popularity is doing "poorly."
Trump and Meloni appeared cordial during the G7 summit, with photographers capturing the two leaders in conversation. Meloni later told reporters that their relationship remained unchanged and that there had been “no recriminations” between them.
But shortly afterward, Trump struck a different tone during a phone interview with Italy's La7 television channel, claiming that Meloni had been eager to be seen with him:
“She begged me to take a photo with her; I felt sorry for her. She’s probably happy I spoke to her.”
Meloni later said she was “frankly stunned” by the remarks and that she doesn't know "why the U.S. president behaves this way toward allies."
But then in a Truth Social post on Saturday, Trump revived his claim and argued that Meloni is struggling politically in Italy, accusing her of not backing U.S. efforts to stop Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.
Trump wrote:
"Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni asked, over and over, for a picture with me during the G-7 meeting in France."
"She is doing poorly in Italy with her level of popularity, possibly because she turned down the United States of America, a Country that truly loves and protects Italy, when it came to denying Iran from obtaining or developing a Nuclear Weapon (But so did NATO, for that matter!)."
"She wouldn’t even let us use Italy’s landing strips or runways, a great logistical inconvenience, and this despite the fact the U.S. contributes hundreds of Billions of Dollars a year to protect Italy, and other “so-called” NATO Allies. Now, after the United States defeated Iran militarily, she wants to be friends again in order to get her “numbers up.” No thanks!!!
You can see his post below.
@realDonaldTrump/Truth Social
Meloni later pushed back on the claim in a post on Instagram, arguing that access to Italian facilities is governed by existing agreements that “cannot be violated as long as I am prime minister":
"President Trump, these constant, unprovoked attacks are senseless. As for my popularity, being your friend has certainly not helped it, nor does it depend on my relationship with you. My popularity depends on my ability to defend Italy's national interest, and that is exactly what I've always done."
"That is also what I did regarding the American military bases in Italy. Their use is governed by agreements that we have always respected, and that cannot be violated as long as I am Prime Minister. Italy remains a sovereign nation."
"In any case, my popularity is none of your concern. I suggest you focus on yours."
You can see her post below.
Trump was criticized for his remarks while others praised Meloni's response.
@territownsend2019/Instagram
@jakewoodtr/Instagram
It'll take decades to bring diplomacy back to the standard it used to be before President Trump took office.
@JamesTate121/X
