Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has accused U.S. President Donald Trump of being overly accommodating toward opponents of the West after a public dispute erupted over his comments about their recent meeting at the G7 summit.
The confrontation began after Trump claimed that Meloni had been eager to take a photograph with him, saying she had “wanted to have a picture with me so badly” and that he “felt sorry for her.” Meloni rejected that account in a video message published Friday, describing the claim as “completely fabricated” and saying she was “frankly astonished” by the U.S. president’s comments.
“I don’t know why the US president behaves this way towards his own allies,” Meloni said. She added that Trump had shown a different approach toward “the enemies of the West and the enemies of the United States,” whose leaders she said appeared to receive a more accommodating response. “Neither I nor Italy ever beg,” she said.
Trump responded on Saturday through a post on Truth Social, criticizing Meloni’s government and accusing it of previously refusing to allow the United States to use Italian landing strips and runways, which he described as a major logistical problem. He also said Meloni was seeking renewed ties after the United States’ military action against Iran because she wanted to improve her political standing.
Meloni later responded on Instagram, calling the repeated attacks “senseless” and saying that her relationship with Trump had not improved her popularity.
The dispute triggered criticism from Italian politicians across the political spectrum and highlighted growing tensions between Rome and Washington. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani announced the cancellation of a planned visit to the United States next week, saying Trump’s remarks against Meloni were offensive to Italy as a whole.
“The serious and offensive words of President Trump towards Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni offend all of Italy,” Tajani wrote on social media.
Defense Minister Guido Crosetto, who had visited Washington earlier in the week, said Trump’s comments would not benefit either country. Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini also defended Meloni, saying that an attack against the prime minister was an attack against all Italians.
Opposition figures also criticized Trump’s remarks. Giuseppe Conte, leader of the Five Star Movement, said Italy did not deserve to be publicly humiliated, while also arguing that Meloni’s close relationship with Trump and his political movement had contributed to the current situation.
The dispute followed weeks of deteriorating relations between the two leaders. Meloni had previously been one of Trump’s strongest supporters in Europe, defending several of his foreign policy positions, including his comments regarding Greenland and U.S.-Israeli military action against Iran.
Relations worsened after Meloni intervened in a dispute between Trump and Pope Leo over the war in Iran, describing Trump’s verbal attacks against the Catholic leader as unacceptable. Trump later criticized Meloni’s government for not fully supporting U.S. efforts against Iran’s nuclear program and said she lacked courage.
Despite those disagreements, Meloni attempted to repair relations during the G7 summit in France, where she sought a direct meeting with Trump. Afterward, she said relations between the two leaders had returned to normal, describing both as leaders with strong personalities who defend their national interests.
Meloni’s position as a bridge between Europe and the Trump administration has also placed her under increasing domestic pressure. The rise of far-right figure Roberto Vannacci and his emerging political party ahead of next year’s elections has created challenges for Meloni, with critics accusing her of moving away from some of the ideological positions associated with the right.
Vannacci defended Meloni following the dispute, saying he disagreed with attempts to attack the prime minister by damaging her reputation and, in his words, the image of Italy itself.
The public exchange between Trump and Meloni marks a new strain in a relationship that had previously been considered among the closest partnerships between the U.S. president and a European leader.
