A rift has emerged between US President Donald Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, previously seen as allies, following Trump’s claim that Meloni repeatedly sought a photo with him at the G7 summit in France, an accusation Meloni strongly denies.
Trump, in a post on Truth Social and in an interview with Italy’s La7 television network, accused Meloni of seeking publicity through him and criticized her popularity in Italy and her stance on Iran.
The escalating feud saw Trump alleging that Italy hindered US military operations and that Meloni sought reconciliation only after the US defeated Iran. Meloni, in response, refuted Trump’s claims, stating that she and Italy do not beg and criticized Trump for targeting allies.
The diplomatic fallout extended to Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s planned meeting with Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, which was canceled by Tajani in response to what he termed as Trump’s offensive comments towards Meloni.
