Trump hits back after Italy PM Meloni said he 'completely made up' claim she 'begged' him for picture

Ms Meloni said she was astonished when she heard the US President's comments to an Italian TV channel.

Mr Trump has responded on Truth Social, claiming: "Italian Prime Minister Giorgia [sic] Meloni asked, over and over, for a picture with me during the G-7 meeting in France".

"She is doing poorly in Italy with her level of popularity, possibly because she turned down the United States of America, a Country that truly loves and protects Italy, when it came to denying Iran from obtaining or developing a Nuclear Weapon (But so did NATO, for that matter!)"

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He continued: "She wouldn't even let us use Italy's landing strips or runways, a great logistical inconvenience, and this despite the fact the US contributes hundreds of Billions of Dollars a year to protect Italy, and other "so-called" NATO Allies."

"Now, after the United States defeated Iran militarily, she wants to be friends again in order to get her 'numbers up.' No thanks!!! President DJT."

The row has led to the Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani cancelling a trip to the US early next week.

Ms Meloni also criticised the US President for acting with far greater deference to the West's enemies than he does towards established allies.

It comes just days after the two former allies appeared to be getting their relationship back on track after tensions over the Iran war.

A video from the event in Evian, which ran from Monday to Wednesday, showed the pair in conversation, sitting side-by-side on a sofa.

But the US president then suggested he had only indulged her by speaking with her.

"She's probably happy I talked to her. I didn't have to talk to her," Mr Trump was quoted as saying by La7 TV channel in a brief interview, after he himself asked the journalist about Ms Meloni.

"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," Mr Trump said, according to La7's translation.

The channel did not put out the original audio, instead releasing a dubbed version.

Ms Meloni responded: "Donald Trump's statements are completely made up. I am frankly astonished. I don't ‌know why ⁠the president of the United States behaves like this towards his allies: it is not the first time, moreover."

"I can only say it is disappointing that he does not show the same determination with the enemies of the West and of the United States, whose leaders he instead treats with far greater indulgence," she said, adding: "There is one thing he should remember: neither I nor Italy ever beg.

Foreign ​minister Mr Tajani, announcing the cancellation ​of his planned US trip, said on X: "The ⁠serious and offensive words of President Trump towards Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni offend the whole of Italy."

Ms Meloni was a strong supporter of Mr Trump and the only European leader to attend his inauguration in 2025. But she criticised him this year for his angry response to Pope Leo's condemnation of the Iran conflict.

The US president accused her of lacking courage, telling Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera in an interview: "I'm shocked at her. I thought she had courage, but I was wrong."