Trump accuses Italian PM Meloni of repeatedly requesting photo at G7 summit
President Donald Trump claimed Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni asked multiple times for a photo together at the G7 meeting and criticized Italy's cooperation on Iran-related matters.
President Donald Trump said Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni repeatedly asked for a photograph with him during the Group of Seven summit in France. In a post from Camp David, he added that Meloni’s popularity in Italy was low because she allegedly turned down U.S. assistance in preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, a claim he linked to broader NATO efforts.
The comments followed an interview Trump gave to an Italian broadcaster in which he asserted that Meloni “begged” for the photo, a statement the prime minister described as fabricated. Italy’s foreign minister subsequently canceled a planned visit to the United States as the Italian government defended Meloni.
"Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni asked, over and over, for a picture with me during the G-7 meeting in France," Trump wrote on his social-media platform.
Trump also alleged that Meloni refused to allow U.S. use of Italian airfields during the Iran conflict, echoing longstanding criticisms of NATO members’ cooperation. The remarks were broadcast on Italy’s La7 network, which aired a dubbed version of the interview without the original English audio.