Meloni slams Trump's claim she 'begged' for a photo with him as Italy's top diplomat cancels U.S. trip

Trump’s posturing underscored how his alliance with Meloni — long seen as one of his closest friends inEurope— has frayed over his war inIran, his tariffs againstEuropeand his complaints when anyone disagrees with him.

Heturned on Meloni in Aprilafter she refused to support his war inIranand stood up forPope Leo XIVwhen Trump lashed out at the pontiff.

But Meloni’s strong response on Friday suggested she no longer fears Trump’s verbal attacks — attacks that could actually play in her favor in a country where public opinion of the American president has chilled, saidLorenzo Castellani, a political scientist atRome’sLuiss Guido Carli University.

“In some ways this was a favor toGiorgia Meloni, in the sense that she was accused until a few months ago of being a sort of Trump’s vassal in Europe,” he said.

In her video, Meloni said she was responding to Trump’s claims because “certain things deserve an immediate response.”

“Donald Trump’s statements are completely fabricated. I am frankly stunned,” she said. “I don’t know why the president ofthe United Statesbehaves this way toward his own allies. After all, this isn’t the first time this has happened.”

It was an apparent reference to an interview Trump gave to Italian daily Corriere della Sera in April in which he criticized Meloni’s refusal to back theU.S.-Israelwar inIran. Meloni didn’t respond publicly at the time. By Friday, it appeared she had had enough of his boasts and broadsides.

“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 ofthe United States— toward leaders with whom he, on the other hand, is much more accommodating,” Meloni said Friday. “But there’s one thing he must remember:Italyand I do not beg.”

TheWhite Housedid not return an immediate request for comment on Meloni’s remarks.

Meloni had initially sought to build on longstanding strongU.S.-Italian ties when Trump began his second mandate, and had positioned herself as a “bridge” betweenWashingtonand theEuropean Union. She was the lone EU head of state to attend his inauguration.

But relations have frayed over theU.S. war inIran, which Meloni has said was illegal, and Trump’s position onUkraine, whichItalystrongly supports. Trump’s tariffs and strongU.S. support ofIsraelover its war inGazahave been other points of contention.

By Friday afternoon, solidarity for Meloni had poured in from across the government and political spectrum, and included a call from PresidentSergio Mattarella, Italy’s respected head of state.

“Whoever attacks@GiorgiaMeloniattacks all of us,” posted Transport MinisterMatteo Salvini.

Justice MinisterCarlo Nordioreferenced the sacrifice of American troops in World War II in underlining the harm toU.S.-Italyrelations caused by Trump.

“The thousands of crosses marking the graves of American soldiers who died to free us from Nazi-Fascist dictatorship did not deserve such a painful blow to our fraternal ties,” Nordio said on X.

Defense MinisterGuido Crosettosaid he didn’t believe Meloni would ever beg someone for a photo, “not even under threat.”

Tajani had been due to travel to theU.S. on Sunday to take part in anItaly-U.S. business forum inMiamiduring which he was to have meet withU.S. Secretary of StateMarco Rubio, according to aU.S. State Departmentannouncement of the meeting.

Meloni and Trump had gotten off to a strong start, and the two leaders are ideologically aligned on many issues. As the head of a far-right party, Meloni backs curbing migration and promoting traditional values.

Weeks before Trump’s 2025 inauguration,Meloni met Trump at his Mar-a-Lago retreat, a visit that she said went “beyond expectations.” It was, she said at the time, “an opportunity to confirm a relationship that promises to be very solid.”

In the months after, Trump had praised her repeatedly, as “fantastic,” “incredible,” beautiful and a friend.

But stark differences emerged overUkraine. More recently, Meloni sharply warned againstU.S. threats to takeGreenlandby force, saying she didn’t believeWashingtonwould go so far and that regardlessItalywould never support such a move.

Meloni also received support from an unlikely ally inEurope:Spain’sSocialist Prime MinisterPedro Sánchez, who was on Friday asked about the back and forth on the sidelines of aEuropean Councilmeeting.

“About Meloni, first and foremost, all my solidarity,” he told reporters. “Secondly, I not only say this publicly in a response to your question, but also in private during theEuropean Councilmeeting I offered her all my solidarity against this attack that is not political or personal … I really don´t know how to qualify it.”