Overview
- President Donald Trump told Italian broadcaster La7 that Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had "begged" him for a photograph at the G7, according to the channel's translation of a brief interview.
- Meloni immediately rejected the account on Friday, June 19, 2026, calling Trump's statements "completely made up" and saying "neither I nor Italy ever beg."
- Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said the comments were "grave and offensive" and cancelled a scheduled trip to the United States on June 21–22 as a formal protest.
- La7 aired only a dubbed version of the interview and did not release the original audio, while G7 video shows Meloni and Trump in extended conversation, leaving key details of intent and wording unresolved.
- The row revives deeper policy tensions between Rome and Washington over the Iran war, the pope and military cooperation and could weaken short-term bilateral coordination on security and diplomatic matters.