Rome has canceled a planned visit to the US by its foreign minister amid a row with Washington
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has accused Donald Trump of fabricating a story about her after the US president claimed she had “begged” him for a photo during this week’s G7 summit in France.
According to a dubbed Italian-language version of a phone interview released by broadcaster La7 on Friday, Trump suggested that Meloni was desperate to pose with him during the gathering in Evian and that he only agreed “out of pity.”
The remarks triggered a sharp response from Meloni, who dismissed Trump’s account as “completely fabricated.”
“I am frankly astonished. I don’t understand why the president of the United States behaves this way with his allies,” Meloni said in a video statement posted on X on Friday. “I and Italy never beg.”
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani also took to X to announce that he was canceling a planned trip to the US scheduled for June 21-22.
“The serious and offensive words of President Trump towards Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni offend all of Italy,” the diplomat wrote.
US President Donald Trump speaks with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni after a group photo during the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, on June 16, 2026.
Meloni was long regarded as one of Trump’s closest allies among European leaders and as a bridge between Washington and Brussels. She was the only European head of government to attend Trump’s inauguration in 2025. Relations have deteriorated in recent months, however, amid disagreements over Iran and Meloni’s defense of Pope Leo XIV after Trump attacked the pontiff over his criticism of the Iran war.
The public clash came just days after the two leaders appeared to patch up months of disagreements on the sidelines of the G7 summit.
According to Euronews, European Council President Antonio Costa joked during a conversation with the pair that Trump and Meloni were “friends again.”
“We have always been friends,” Meloni replied. “I was abandoned,” Trump responded. “No, you were not,” Meloni said.
The anecdote about the Italian prime minister came as Trump launched a broader critique of EU policies during his conversation with La7.
“The Europeans have gotten everything wrong on energy and immigration,” he told La7, calling Europe’s immigration policy “a disaster” andits renewable-energy agenda a failure. He argued that unless these issues are addressed, “Europe will probably never be the same again.”
