The Italian government denied to US President Donald Trump's assertion that Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had "begged" for a picture with him at the recent G7 summit on Friday, .
Antonio Tajani, the foreign minister of Italy, called Trump's accusations against Meloni and all of Italy "serious and offensive" and hastily cancelled a scheduled trip to the United States this weekend, according to the Associated Press.
Meloni, for her part, uploaded a video in which she called Trump's assertions "completely fabricated" and said, "Italy and I do not beg."
The remarks were made by Trump during an interview that was aired on the La7 network on Friday morning. When the La7 correspondent questioned Trump about Ukraine, he brought up Meloni, and the topic of their encounter—which was captured on camera—during the just-finished G7 conference in Evian-les-Bains, France, came up. Meloni and Trump were captured on camera conversing on several occasions, even by themselves on a tiny couch.
Le gravi e offensive parole del Presidente Trump nei confronti del Presidente del Consiglio Giorgia Meloni offendono tutta l'Italia. Per questo motivo ho deciso di annullare la mia visita negli Stati Uniti prevista per i prossimi 21 e 22 giugno.
— Antonio Tajani (@Antonio_Tajani) June 19, 2026
La7 claims that Trump said Meloni had "begged" him for a picture. According to La7, Trump claimed he felt terrible for her and consented even though he wasn't required to. Instead of the original English audio, the broadcaster has a dubbed version of the conversation available online.
Meloni stated in her video that she was reacting to Trump's assertions because "certain things deserve an immediate response".
"Donald Trump's claims are wholly untrue. To be honest, I'm stunned," she remarked. "I don't understand why the US president treats his own allies in this manner. Ultimately, this is not the first instance of this occurring."
It seemed to be a reference to Trump's April interview with the Italian daily Corriere della Sera, in which he chastised Meloni for not supporting the US-Israeli attack in Iran. Meloni refrained from making a public response at the time.
Meloni stated on Friday, "I can only say that it's a shame he doesn't show the same resolve toward the enemies of the West, toward the enemies of the United States — toward leaders with whom he, on the other hand, is much more accommodating." "But he needs to keep in mind that Italy and I are not beggars."
ALSO READ: Trump Says Meloni Begged For A Photo. She Says He Made It Up
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