{"id":884,"date":"2026-06-19T12:09:13","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T12:09:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=884"},"modified":"2026-06-19T12:09:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T12:09:13","slug":"italys-top-diplomat-cancels-us-trip-as-meloni-slams-trumps-claim-she-begged-for-a-photo-with-him","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=884","title":{"rendered":"Italy\u2019s top diplomat cancels US trip as Meloni slams Trump\u2019s claim she \u2018begged\u2019 for a photo with him"},"content":{"rendered":"
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ROME (AP) \u2014 The Italian government on Friday slammed U.S. President Donald Trump\u2019s claim<\/span> that Premier Giorgia Meloni had \u201cbegged\u201d for a photo with him during the recent G7 summit, a pushback that suggested the longtime U.S. ally had had enough of Trump\u2019s boasting.<\/p>\n

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Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani abruptly cancelled a planned trip to the United States this weekend, calling Trump\u2019s claims \u201cserious and offensive\u201d toward Meloni and all of Italy.<\/p>\n

For her part, Meloni posted a video calling Trump\u2019s claims \u201ccompletely fabricated,\u201d which she concluded with: \u201cItaly and I do not beg.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trump had made the comments in an interview broadcast Friday morning on the La7 network. The La7 correspondent had asked Trump about Ukraine, but Trump raised Meloni and the conversation turned to their meeting, caught on video, during the just-concluded G7 meeting in Evian-les-Bains, France.<\/span> Meloni and Trump were filmed speaking at several points, including alone on a small sofa.<\/p>\n

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According to La7, Trump said Meloni had \u201cbegged\u201d him for a photo-op. Trump said he wasn\u2019t obliged to do it but that he felt sorry for her and agreed, La7 said. The broadcaster has a dubbed version of the conversation online, not the original English audio.<\/p>\n

In her video, Meloni said she was responding to Trump\u2019s claims because \u201ccertain things deserve an immediate response.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDonald Trump\u2019s statements are completely fabricated. I am frankly stunned,\u201d she said. \u201cI don\u2019t know why the president of the United States behaves this way toward his own allies. After all, this isn\u2019t the first time this has happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

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It was an apparent reference to an interview Trump gave to Italian daily Corriere della Sera in April in which he criticized Meloni\u2019s refusal to back the U.S.-Israel war in Iran. Meloni didn\u2019t respond publicly at the time. <\/p>\n

By Friday, it appeared she had had enough of his boasts and broadsides.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI can only say that it\u2019s a shame he doesn\u2019t show the same resolve toward the enemies of the West, toward the enemies of the United States \u2014 toward leaders with whom he, on the other hand, is much more accommodating,\u201d Meloni said Friday. \u201cBut there\u2019s one thing he must remember: Italy and I do not beg.\u201d<\/p>\n

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