US President Donald Trump has escalated his public dispute with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, insisting on his Truth Social platform that she asked him 'over and over' for a photograph during their encounter at the G7 summit in Évian, France. The remarks come days after Trump told an Italian journalist that he 'felt sorry for Meloni' because she had 'begged me to take a picture with her'.
Meloni swiftly rejected the characterization in a video posted to social media, calling Trump's version of events 'completely made up' and asserting that neither she nor Italy 'begs anyone for anything'. The exchange marks a sharp deterioration in what was once a cordial relationship between the two right-wing leaders.
From Allies to Adversaries
The fracture has been building for months. Rome refused to back Washington's military operations in Iran, a decision that infuriated the Trump administration. More recently, Meloni defended Pope Leo XIV after the White House criticized the pontiff's remarks on the war in Ukraine and US immigration policies. Trump's latest post explicitly linked the photo dispute to these policy differences, writing: 'She is doing poorly in Italy with her level of popularity, possibly because she turned down the United States of America, a Country that truly loves and protects Italy, when it came to denying Iran from obtaining or developing a Nuclear Weapon.'
Trump's claim about Meloni's domestic standing is questionable. While her approval ratings have dipped from their post-election highs, she remains a dominant figure in Italian politics, leading a coalition government that has pursued a nationalist agenda on migration and EU relations. The G7 summit in Évian was already a tense affair, with European leaders pressing Trump to break the deadlock over Ukraine and to moderate his stance on Iran. The public spat with Meloni further complicated the atmosphere.
Meloni's allies in Rome have rallied behind her. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani dismissed Trump's account as 'a distraction from the real issues at the summit'. Opposition figures in the Italian parliament have also weighed in, with some accusing Trump of trying to undermine a key European ally. The episode has also fueled a wave of misinformation online, with doctored images and false narratives circulating on social media.
The broader context is a transatlantic relationship under strain. Trump's transactional approach to diplomacy has unsettled many European capitals, and his willingness to publicly criticize a fellow G7 leader is unprecedented in recent memory. For Meloni, the confrontation carries risks at home, where her nationalist base admires Trump but also values Italian sovereignty. The prime minister has sought to balance her ideological affinity with the US president against the practical need to maintain good relations with Brussels and other European partners.
As the dust settles on the Évian summit, the question remains whether this personal clash will have lasting consequences for US-Italy relations. For now, both leaders appear dug in. Trump shows no sign of backing down, and Meloni is unlikely to apologize for defending her country's independence. The episode serves as a reminder that even among political allies, the personal can quickly become political.
