Meloni says Trump totally invented photo beg claim
June 19, 2026 08:16 PM IST

Meloni says Trump totally invented photo beg claim

News Desk - Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has pushed back sharply against a claim by Donald Trump that she begged him for a photo at the G7 summit, calling the story completely invented. The exchange has stirred political attention in Italy and added a new irritant to relations between the two leaders.

According to reports, Trump told an Italian TV interviewer that Meloni was eager for a joint photograph with him at the summit and had supposedly pleaded for one. Meloni dismissed the account as false, saying Trump’s version was “completely made up” and stressing that neither she nor Italy ever begs.

Her response was unusually blunt, and she went further by suggesting that Trump shows greater respect toward adversaries than toward allies. That framing turned the dispute from a personal embarrassment into a broader statement about diplomatic conduct and political respect.

The reaction in Italy was swift. Media coverage noted political backlash and reported that Italy’s foreign minister canceled a planned trip to the United States, signaling that the comments had real diplomatic consequences beyond social media headlines. The episode has also drawn attention because Meloni and Trump are often seen as politically aligned, which made the public disagreement stand out even more.

What began as a remark about a summit photo has become a pointed public clash between two prominent leaders. Meloni’s forceful denial shows how quickly a seemingly minor comment can escalate into a diplomatic irritation when it touches questions of respect, credibility, and alliance politics.

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