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Trump photo claim sparks rift
A dispute erupted between U.S. President Donald Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni after Trump claimed Meloni had “begged” him for a photograph during the G7 summit in France, prompting Rome to respond diplomatically and shift the issue into the political relationship between the two countries.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani canceled a scheduled visit to Washington, and the Italian government framed the move as a protest against Trump’s remarks.
Meloni denied the narrative after the G7 summit in France, saying in a filmed message that Trump had “entirely invented a narrative” claiming she “begged him” to take a photo with him on the sidelines.
In the same dispute, Trump told Italian broadcaster La7 that Meloni “begged” him for a photo and that he agreed “out of pity for her,” while Meloni said she does not understand why the U.S. president behaves this way toward allies.
Italy closes ranks
Italian officials closed ranks on Friday to slam Trump, with Transport Minister Matteo Salvini posting that “Whoever attacks @GiorgiaMeloni attacks all of us,” and Justice Minister Carlo Nordio linking the harm to U.S.-Italy relations to the “thousands of crosses” marking American soldiers’ graves.
Meloni’s response included a direct rebuttal that “Donald Trump’s statements are completely made-up,” and she concluded with the line “Italy and I never beg.”
Tajani described Trump’s remarks as “serious and offensive” toward Meloni and all of Italy, and the Foreign Ministry also announced that the business and scientific forum Tajani was to attend in Miami was called off.
The dispute also played out through the La7 interview format, where the broadcaster put a dubbed version online and did not publish the original audio, while the video footage from the G7 showed Meloni and Trump speaking on a small sofa.
What’s at stake next
The rift places the Washington-Rome relationship under a new test because the relationship rests on security, military and economic partnership and does not stop at the personal relationship between a U.S. president and an Italian prime minister.
Italy is described as a key partner of the United States within NATO, hosts American military facilities, and holds an important position in Washington’s calculations regarding the Mediterranean and North Africa, migration and energy issues.
The dispute also complicates Trump’s relationship with the European right, where leaders including Marine Le Pen of the French National Rally, Matteo Salvini, and Geert Wilders had praised Trump’s agenda at a summit held by the Patriots for Europe party in Madrid in February 2025.
As the public confrontation deepened, the Italian foreign minister canceled his June 21–22 trip to Washington, and the episode raised questions about whether the clash remains rhetorical or develops into a more serious strain in U.S.-Italy relations.
