Giorgia Meloni, the Prime Minister of Italy, has hit back at Donald Trump after the US president claimed she ‘begged’ for a photo with him.
You’d think that because Meloni runs a right wing government in the European nation that she and President Trump would get on pretty well, but the recent attack is the latest in somewhat of a dispute between the two world leaders.
The pair both attended the G7 Summit in France earlier this week, with Trump later claiming to La7 channel in Italy that Meloni ‘begged’ him for a photo.
Trump said the Italian PM was ‘probably happy I spoke to her. I didn’t have to’, before adding: “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.”
Meloni was quick to dismiss Trump’s claims, describing the president’s comments as ‘completely fabricated’.
Meloni has dismissed Trump’s claims (Suzanne Plunkett – Pool/Getty Images)
She added on Instagram: “Frankly, I am stunned. Italy and I never beg. Some things deserve an immediate response. I don’t know why the US president behaves this way towards his allies.
“It’s not the first time it’s happened. I can only say it’s unfortunate he doesn’t show the same determination towards the West’s enemies.”
Italian officials are seemingly that frustrated by Trump’s comments that Antonio Tajani, Italy’s foreign minister, has canceled a planned trip to the US following the Republican president’s latest remarks.
“The serious and offensive words of President Trump towards Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni offend all of Italy,” Tajani wrote on X.
The cabinet member added: “For this reason, I have decided to cancel my visit to the United States scheduled for the next 21 and 22 June.”
Relations between the US and Italy are not so good right now… (Evelyn Hockstein – Pool/Getty Images)
It’s the latest in the long-running war of words between Italy and the US, which previously sparked after Rome refused Washington access to a strategic air base in Sicily following Trump’s bombing of Iran.
Saying he was ‘shocked’ by Meloni’s refusal, the POTUS added at the time: “She’s no longer the same person, and Italy will never be the same country again.”
Trump previously dubbed Pope Leo ‘terrible for foreign policy’ and ‘weak on crime’ amid the war in Iran, which lead to Meloni responding: “The Pope is the head of the Catholic Church, and it is right and normal for him to call for peace and to condemn every form of war.”
In a phone interview with Italian newspaper Corriera Della Sera, Trump hit back: “It’s her who’s unacceptable, because she doesn’t care if Iran has a nuclear weapon and would blow up Italy in two minutes if it had the chance.”