Overview
- Multiple outlets reported that in an interview broadcast June 19 President Donald Trump told Italian channel La7 that Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had “begged” him for a photograph at the G7 in Évian-les-Bains.
- Meloni rejected the account as “completely fabricated” in a video statement and on social media, saying “neither I nor Italy ever beg” and demanding an immediate response.
- Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani cancelled a scheduled visit to the United States on June 19 and senior ministers from across Meloni’s government publicly condemned Trump’s remarks.
- La7 released only a dubbed Italian version of the interview and not the original audio, prompting verification questions while Trump doubled down the following days on Truth Social and in further interviews.
- The episode deepens an existing rift driven by earlier policy disputes over the Iran war, the Pope and military access, and it has already disrupted planned business and diplomatic meetings with uncertain short‑term consequences.