By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2026-06-20 12:53:59 | Updated at 2026-06-20 15:29:04
2 hours ago
An angry Donald Trump hit back at Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni as the two world leaders' relationship continues to deteriorate.
In a brief interview with Italian news outlet La 7, Trump had said Meloni 'begged' him to take a photo with her at the G7 Summit. The channel only released a dubbed version, rather than the original audio.
Meloni responded in a video statement on Friday, saying she was 'astonished' by Trump's remarks and calling them 'completely made up.'
On Saturday morning, Trump insisted that the Italian leader had repeatedly asked him for a photo.
‘Italian Prime Minister Gigiorgia Meloni asked, over and over, for a picture with me during the G-7 meeting in France,’ Trump wrote on Truth Social.
It was unclear if the misspelling of Meloni's name in the US President's Truth post was a new nickname or a typo.
Trump added: ‘Now, after the United States defeated Iran militarily, she wants to be friends again in order to get her “numbers up.” No thanks!!!’
This most recent spat comes as the relationship between both right-wing leaders had strained this year over the war in Iran.
President Donald Trump said Saturday morning on Truth Social that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had asked him 'over and over' for a picture at the G7 summit
Meloni had said Friday that this was 'completely made up' and added that 'neither I nor Italy ever beg'
In his Truth post, Trump said Meloni was ‘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.'
'But so did NATO, for that matter!' the US president added.
The Daily Mail has reached out to the White House for comment on Trump's post.
This is a breaking news story. More to come.
