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Trump says Meloni 'begged' for a G7 photo and he 'felt sorry for her'. Meloni: 'totally invented. Italy never begs.'

Trump says Meloni 'begged' for a G7 photo and he 'felt sorry for her'. Meloni: 'totally invented. Italy never begs.'

Published Jun 19, 2026 · 10:00 GMT

US President Donald Trump told Italian TV that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni — his closest European ally — had 'begged' him to take a photo with her at the G7 summit in Évian, saying 'I felt sorry for her.' Meloni, who had already patched up a rift with Trump in Évian after falling out over the Iran war, responded on Instagram with a video captioned 'Italy and I never beg', saying Trump had 'totally invented' the story. Italy's foreign minister Antonio Tajani cancelled a planned trip to the US, and Italian politicians across the spectrum rallied to Meloni's defence — a rare moment of national unity.

The summary above is a neutral framing. Below, each side reports the same story in its own words — judge for yourself.

Trump: she wanted the picture, I felt sorry for her

In a brief interview with Italian broadcaster La7 at the G7 summit, Donald Trump said of Meloni: 'She's probably happy I talked to her. I didn't have to talk to her. She begged me to take a picture with her. She wanted a picture with me so badly. I wouldn't have taken it, but I felt sorry for her.' The remarks came after the two leaders had several one-to-one meetings in Évian to repair a relationship strained by the US-Israeli war in Iran — Trump apparently framing those encounters as Meloni seeking his approval rather than a partnership between allies.

Meloni: 'totally invented' — Italy and I never beg

Giorgia Meloni responded immediately on Instagram with a video captioned 'Italy and I never beg', saying Trump's account was 'totally invented' and that 'some things deserve an immediate response.' The remarks provoked fury across Italy's political spectrum, with Italy's foreign minister Antonio Tajani cancelling a scheduled trip to the US next week in protest. Even politicians who normally oppose Meloni expressed solidarity with the prime minister. The Guardian notes that the two had appeared to be repairing their relationship at the G7, making Trump's public mockery all the more surprising to Italian officials.

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