“She begged me and I felt pity.” Trump causes a diplomatic crisis with Italy with a “fabricated” story about Meloni

US President Donald Trump’s statements about Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni caused diplomatic tension between the two countries after he told an Italian television channel that she begged him to take a picture with her during the G7 summit in France.

Meloni expressed her extreme astonishment at these statements, confirming in a video clip she posted on her VX account that they were completely fabricated. She also criticized the American President for dealing more leniently and submissively with the West’s enemies compared to its old allies.

She added, “Trump’s statements are completely fabricated. I can only say that it is disappointing that he does not show the same firmness toward the enemies of the West and the United States, whose leaders he treats with much greater leniency.” She pointed out, “There is one thing he must remember… Neither I nor Italy ever beg.”

Trump’s statements came during a short interview with the Italian channel, where the journalist asked him about the Italian Prime Minister, to which he responded, saying, “She is probably happy that I spoke to her, even though I was not obligated to do so.”

He added, according to the translation of the channel, which contented itself with broadcasting a dubbed version without releasing the original audio, “She begged me to take a picture with her and she wanted it very much,” indicating that he would not have done so had he not felt “pity for her.”

Although video clips from the summit in France showed Meloni and Trump in a deep conversation as they sat side by side on a small sofa, the US President downplayed the meeting, claiming that it was merely a courtesy.

This debate highlights the extent of the anger caused by Trump’s statements to the Italian government, which prompted Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani to announce the cancellation of a visit scheduled for the United States on the 21st and 22nd of next June. Tajani stressed, “The dangerous and offensive words spoken by Trump toward Meloni offend all of Italy, which necessitated taking this immediate decision.”

Video clips from the summit in France showed Meloni and Trump in a deep conversation, but the American president later suggested that he was only being complimentary by talking to her. While Meloni was previously a prominent supporter of Trump, she is the only European leader to attend his inauguration in 2025.

However, she later criticized him after his attack on Pope Leo XIV, because of his condemnation of the war on Iran, which sparked a sharp response from Trump, who accused her of lacking courage.