Trump falsely claims Italian PM Meloni 'begged' for photo at G7, sparking diplomatic rebuke
President Trump told Italian broadcaster La7 that Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni 'begged' him for a photo at the G7 summit, saying 'She wanted a picture with me so badly. I wouldn't have taken it, but I felt sorry for her.' Meloni immediately responded via video, calling Trump's claims 'completely fabricated' and stating 'Italy and I do not beg.' Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani canceled a planned U.S. trip, calling Trump's remarks 'serious and offensive' toward Meloni and all of Italy. Trump doubled down on his claims despite the diplomatic fallout. The incident marks a significant rupture with a longtime ally, with Meloni expressing astonishment that Trump would invent such stories about a partner nation. This follows a pattern of Trump making false or demeaning claims about world leaders, particularly women leaders.
“She begged me to take a picture with her! She wanted a picture with me so badly. I wouldn't have taken it, but I felt sorry for her.” — Trump's statement to Italian broadcaster La7 about Prime Minister Meloni at the G7 summit
Analysis Feed
AI commentaryThis incident exemplifies Trump's pattern of fabricating demeaning stories about world leaders, particularly women, to inflate his own importance. The immediate diplomatic consequences—including a canceled ministerial visit and public rebuke from a G7 ally—demonstrate the real-world costs of Trump's gratuitous lies. Meloni's forceful response ('Italy and I do not beg') and Trump's decision to double down rather than walk back the claim show his unwillingness to maintain diplomatic norms even when caught in an obvious fabrication. The incident damages U.S. relations with a key European ally and NATO member at a time of geopolitical instability.