It looks as if the Italian prime minister’s teetering relationship with President Trump may have just fallen off a cliff.
For weeks, tensions have been rising. Mr. Trump has grown publicly frustrated with Giorgia Meloni, the right-leaning Italian prime minister, who had been one of his closest political friends on the international stage, for failing to support the war in Iran and for criticizing his broadside against Pope Leo XIV. On Friday, she seemed to have had enough.
After the president told an Italian journalist on Thursday that Ms. Meloni had “begged” him to take a photo together at the Group of 7 summit meeting in France this week, Ms. Meloni called Mr. Trump’s statements “totally invented.”
“Italy and I never beg,” she proclaimed in a video posted on social media.
Ms. Meloni, who took office in 2022, had cast herself as the European leader who had the best relationship with the American president. Even as relations have deteriorated, she has tried to smooth over ruffled feathers.
This week, a Reuters camera had captured an exchange between Ms. Meloni and Mr. Trump at the G7 summit meeting where she emphasized that she and Mr. Trump “have always been friends” and laughed off his retort that he had felt “abandoned” by her.
On Thursday evening, Mr. Trump seemed not to want to reciprocate Ms. Meloni’s attempts at rapprochement. He told the White House correspondent for La7, an Italian television news channel, that Ms. Meloni “wanted a picture with me so badly.”
“I wouldn’t have done it, but I felt sorry for her!” he added.
On Friday came Ms. Meloni’s retort. Speaking directly to the camera, she said: “I am frankly shocked. I don’t know why the president of the United States behaves this way toward his own allies. After all, this is not the first time it has happened. I can only say that it’s upsetting that he doesn’t have the same resolve toward the enemies of the West, toward the enemies of the United States, toward leadership to which he instead proves much more indulgent.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Ms. Meloni had already sought some distance from Mr. Trump as the friendship became a political liability among Italian voters. But until this week, she had been trying to preserve some harmony. At the beginning of the war, she did not explicitly condemn Mr. Trump’s decision to attack Iran, and her administration said it would send minesweepers to help clear the Strait of Hormuz after a peace deal was signed.
The difficulties were evident after Mr. Trump’s criticism of the pope. He accused Leo XIV of “catering to the radical left” and being “weak on crime.” She condemned Mr. Trump’s remarks, but insisted that Italy and the United States remained strong allies despite occasional disagreements.
The president’s latest characterization of her request for a photo, as if she were a teenage fan asking for a celebrity selfie, prompted several members of her cabinet to rise to her defense.
Antonio Tajani, Italy’s foreign minister, announced on social media that he would cancel a planned visit to a business conference in Miami.
The defense minister, Guido Crosetto, wrote on social media, “I can’t imagine @giorgiameloni asking for a picture from anyone, not even under threat.”
Matteo Salvini, leader of the furthest-right party in Ms. Meloni’s right-wing governing coalition, wrote bluntly that “whoever attacks Giorgia, attacks all of us.”
Photos and video from the G7 summit did not signal obvious disagreement between Mr. Trump and Ms. Meloni as they sat side by side on a sofa at the Evian’s Hotel Royal, after a session devoted to artificial intelligence. Ms. Meloni looks cheerful, and Mr. Trump is shown shaking her hand vigorously after they stand up to leave.
Even foreign leaders and members of Italy’s opposition seemed offended by Mr. Trump’s comments. Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, offered “full solidarity” to Ms. Meloni, and Belgium’s defense minister, Theo Francken, wrote that the White House should “leave @GiorgiaMeloni alone.”
“The level of cruel offense that President Trump has directed at the prime minister is unacceptable,” Lia Quartapelle, a member of Italy’s Chamber of Deputies with the Democratic Party, posted. “He is the one making a fool of himself: a bully who has no qualms about damaging relations with Italy.”
Some opposition politicians took the opportunity to take a jab at Ms. Meloni for trying to be friends with Mr. Trump in the first place.
Matteo Renzi, a former prime minister and current centrist Italian senator, wrote on social media that “Trump’s statements are horrifying, as always.” He added: “Finally, President Meloni has noticed too: good morning Giorgia, nice of you to wake up. Dear President, have you finally realized that allying with those people means being against Italy? Enough with the MAGA hats, enough bridges to Trump: Italy deserves leadership that commands respect in the world.”
Jeanna Smialek contributed reporting from Brussels.
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