Italy’s top diplomat ends US trip after Meloni says Trump’s story is fabricated | Donald Trump News

Italy’s prime minister has criticized Trump for making up a story that he ‘asked’ him to take a photo at the G7 summit in France.

Tensions between US President Donald Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni have escalated, with Italy’s top diplomat canceling an upcoming visit to the US.

An article in which Trump says Meloni “asked” him to take a picture at the Group of Seven (G7) meeting in France earlier this week.

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“Maybe he’s glad I talked to him. I shouldn’t have talked to him,” Trump reportedly told Italy’s La7 network. The broadcaster only released the requested Italian version, not the original English version.

“He asked me to take a picture with him, he wanted a picture with me so badly, I wouldn’t take it, but I felt sorry for him.

On Friday, Meloni posted a video responding to Trump’s comments that “some things need to be addressed urgently”.

“What Donald Trump is saying is false. I am very shocked,” he said. “I don’t know why the president of the United States does things like this to his allies.”

The leader of a far-right party that campaigned on an anti-immigrant platform, Meloni was previously seen as one of Trump’s strongest supporters in Europe.

He met Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate after he won the 2024 election and attended his inauguration in January 2025.

However, these two did different during Trump’s second term on several issues, including supporting Ukraine amid Russian aggression, the US-Israeli war with Iran, Trump’s threat to annex the Danish territory of Greenland and his opposition to Pope Leo.

In his video, Meloni said it was a “shame” Trump did not show “the same determination to the enemies of the West, to the enemies of the United States” as he did in his speech against him.

He accused the US president of “favoring” enemies more than allies.

“But there is one thing they must remember: Italy and I do not ask,” he said.

Shortly after Meloni posted the video, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said he was canceling a trip to the US this weekend, where he was supposed to attend a business conference in Miami, Florida and meet with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

He called Trump’s comments “huge and offensive”. Several other government officials also took action.

Justice Minister Carlo Nordio said Trump’s comments tarnished the reputation of US soldiers who died in World War II.

“Thousands of crosses marking the graves of American soldiers who died to save us from Nazi-Fascist tyranny were not worth such a painful blow to our relationship,” Nordio wrote on X.

Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said he did not believe Meloni would ask for a photo, “even if threatened”.

“This kind of humor does not help anyone: not even in the USA, or Italy, or the union,” he said.

The White House did not immediately respond to Meloni’s comments.