US President Donald Trump deepened his feud with Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni on Saturday, doubling down on claims that she insisted on a photo with him on the G7 summit in France this week.
“Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni asked, over and over, for a picture with me during the G-7 meeting in France,” Trump wrote on social media of a frontrunner who has been a key European ally.
He claimed that Meloni’s reputation was plummeting, suggesting it was a results of her refusing to help the US in its battle towards Iran.
But the Italian chief was fast to rebuff Trump’s declarations, suggesting his argument was nonsense and advising the president to direct his consideration towards his personal reputation moderately than hers.
“President Trump, these constant and gratuitous attacks are senseless,” Meloni wrote on Facebook later Saturday. She added that her friendship with the US chief has by no means contributed to her reputation, because the president claimed.
The right-wing chief mentioned her reputation endures due to her “ability to defend Italy’s national interests,” which, she mentioned, is why she denied the US entry to Italian army bases earlier this yr.
“In any case, my popularity is none of your concern,” Meloni added. “I’d suggest you focus on yours.”
The spat is the newest dip within the deteriorating relationship between the once-close leaders and a further fracture between the US and its European allies, coming after tentative indicators of restore on the G7 summit this week in France.
Trump’s remarks come after Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani introduced Friday he was canceling a deliberate journey to the United States, the place he was attributable to meet with Secretary of State Marco Rubio over the heated alternate.
In an interview with Italy’s La7 TV this week, Trump claimed Meloni had “begged” him for a photo on the summit, and he obliged as a result of he felt sorry for her, in line with a dubbed Italian translation posted by the outlet.
“She begged me to take a picture with her. She wanted a picture with me so badly. I wouldn’t have taken it, but I felt sorry for her,” he mentioned.
Meloni refuted the feedback in a sharply worded video posted Friday morning, saying they deserved “an immediate response.”
“Donald Trump’s statements are completely fabricated. I’m frankly shocked. I don’t know why the president of the United States behaves this way towards his own allies, and it’s not the first time it’s happened,” she mentioned within the video posted on X.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni speaks out towards Trump feedback
“I can only say that it’s a shame he doesn’t have the same determination with the enemies of the West, with the enemies of the United States, with leaderships with which he instead appears much more accommodating,” she continued.
“But you must remember one thing: Italy and I never beg,” Meloni mentioned.
Meloni has discovered assist within the Italian media. One far-right outlet on Saturday carried the front-page headline: “Trump is an a**hole.”
NCS has reached out to the White House and US State Department for remark.
In an interview with NBC News on Friday, Trump had renewed his criticism of Meloni, saying, “I don’t want her as a fan because she was not there — along with the NATO group — having to do with the strait,” a reference to a perceived lack of assist through the Iran struggle.
It will not be the primary row between Trump and Meloni. Earlier this yr, Meloni called Trump’s criticisms of Pope Leo XIV over his opposition to the struggle towards Iran “unacceptable.” Trump then criticized Meloni and Italy extra broadly for what he mentioned was a failure to sufficiently assist the US within the battle, which European leaders have largely tried to remain out of.
Meloni has been extensively thought to be Trump’s staunchest Western European ally, though this relationship has been strained by her refusal to take part within the struggle with Iran.
Since the beginning of Trump’s second time period, populist and conservative Meloni captured the eye of the president and his advisers, and she was the one European chief to attend his second inauguration.
The two have overlapped on points reminiscent of strict immigration insurance policies and nationwide sovereignty.
Trump has been recognized prior to now to bathe Meloni with robust private reward, contrasting with his hostile strategy to different European leaders.
This story and headline have been up to date with extra developments.