Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni furiously accused Donald Trump of telling a ‘completely made up’ story about her – before hitting out on the US president for pandering to enemies of the West.
Trump told an Italian TV channel that Meloni had ‘begged’ him to take a photograph along with her at a G7 summit, a claim angrily denied by the Italian leader.
Video from the event in France showed Meloni and Trump deep in conversation, however the US leader suggested he had merely indulged her by chatting along with her.
‘She’s probably pleased I talked to her. I didn’t should consult with her,’ Trump was quoted as saying by La7 TV channel.
‘She begged me to take an image along with her. She wanted an image with me so badly. I wouldn’t have taken it, but I felt sorry for her.’
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Meloni said she was ‘astonished’ by his comments and accused Trump of paying greater respect to enemies of the West than established allies.
She said: ‘Donald Trump’s statements are completely made up. I’m frankly astonished. I don’t know why the president of america behaves like this towards his allies: it will not be the primary time, furthermore.
‘I can only say it’s disappointing that he doesn’t show the identical determination with the enemies of the West and of america, whose leaders he as a substitute treats with far greater indulgence. There may be one thing he should remember: neither I nor Italy ever beg.’
Meloni was once a detailed ally of Trump and the one European leader to attend his inauguration in 2025.
Nonetheless, they fell out after she backed the Pope Leo when Trump lashed out on the Pontiff over his condemnation of the Iran war.
Trump was also angered by Meloni’s unwillingness to back the Middle East conflict, accusing her of ‘lacking courage’.
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