Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani announced on Friday June 19 on
President Trump’s serious and offensive words towards Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni offend all of Italy. For this reason I have decided to cancel my visit to the United States scheduled for June 21st and 22nd.
— Antonio Tajani (@Antonio_Tajani) June 19, 2026
I manage my choices I authorize
In a telephone interview with the Italian television channel La7, Donald Trump claimed that Giorgia Meloni had “begged” him to take a photo with him on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France, according to a transcript of the interview published by the channel, which did not broadcast the original audio recording.
In response to this publication, Giorgia Meloni broadcast a video on Friday on X where she said she was “dismayed” by Donald Trump’s “totally invented” statements. “I don’t understand why the President of the United States behaves like this towards his own allies – it’s not the first time,” she said.
One of Trump’s closest allies
“I can only deplore the fact that he does not show the same determination towards the enemies of the West, towards the enemies of the United States, towards leaders with whom he is, on the contrary, much more conciliatory. » In April, Donald Trump had already criticized Giorgia Meloni for refusing to involve his country in the war in Iran, saying he was “in shock” and disappointed by her lack of “courage”.
Giorgia Meloni, elected in October 2022 at the head of an ultraconservative coalition government, was until then one of Donald Trump’s closest allies on the Old Continent, often striving to play the role of mediator between the divergent positions of the United States and Europe.
The Italian Minister of Defense, Guido Crosetto, also gave his support to the head of government. “I can’t imagine Giorgia Meloni asking anyone for a photo, even under duress. On the other hand, I imagine how much it required him to ignore Trump’s remarks made a few weeks ago in order to serve the interests of Italy, Europe and the West,” he wrote on X.
