Remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump about Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni triggered a broad political reaction across Italy on Friday, with government officials, coalition allies and several opposition figures condemning the comments and defending the country’s institutions.
What happened: Trump, speaking in a phone interview with Italian broadcaster La7, claimed that Meloni had “begged” to take a photograph with him.
- “She begged me to take a photo with her. She wanted a photo with me so badly. I might not even have done it, but I felt sorry for her,” Trump said. Referring to their interaction at the G7 summit, he added that Meloni was “probably happy that I spoke to her” and that he “was not obliged to speak to her.”
Meloni pushes back. PM Meloni responded within hours in a video posted on social media, calling Trump’s account “completely made up.”
- “Donald Trump’s statements are totally invented. Frankly, I am astonished,” the prime minister said.
- Meloni said she did not understand why the U.S. president would behave that way toward allies and argued that he did not show the same determination toward “the enemies of the West” and “the enemies of the United States.”
- “One thing he should remember: neither I nor Italy ever beg,” she said.
Immediate government response. The controversy also prompted a diplomatic response.
- Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani announced that he was cancelling a planned visit to the United States scheduled for next week. “I had to take the decision to cancel my visit to the United States planned for Monday and Tuesday because we cannot accept someone insulting Italy, as the President of the United States has done,” Tajani said.
- Defense Minister Guido Crosetto also came to Meloni’s defense. “I cannot imagine Giorgia Meloni asking anyone for a photograph, not even under threat,” he wrote on X, describing Trump’s remarks as a “new lapse in judgment” that harms “the U.S., Italy and the alliance.”
- Giovanbattista Fazzolari, undersecretary to the Prime Minister’s Office, said Trump’s comments were the latest in a series of “attacks and insults directed at European leaders” and warned that they risked damaging transatlantic relations.
Coalition parties rally behind the prime minister. Leaders from the governing coalition also condemned Trump’s remarks.
- Maurizio Lupi, leader of Noi Moderati, called the comments “unjustified and unacceptable,” adding that “Italy begs no one.”
- Senator Mariastella Gelmini said the remarks were “unacceptable” and “certainly do not correspond to reality,” while Noi Moderati secretary Mara Carfagna said Trump should show respect for “Italy, its prime minister, the historic friendship between Italy and the United States, and the millions of Italians who helped make America great.”
- Giorgio Mulè, deputy speaker of the Chamber of Deputies and a senior Forza Italia lawmaker, expressed his “strongest solidarity” with Meloni and described Trump’s remarks as serious given his role as president of a key ally.
Opposition voices also criticize Trump. Several opposition figures also condemned the U.S. president’s comments.
- Five Star Movement leader Giuseppe Conte said it was “completely unacceptable” for an ally to speak in such terms about Italy’s institutions. “Italy does not deserve to be so publicly humiliated,” Conte said.
- Azione leader Carlo Calenda described Trump as “a serial liar” and said he did not believe Meloni had “begged for anything.” “These insults must be rejected because they damage the honor of the nation,” Calenda wrote on X.
- Within the Democratic Party, Senator Filippo Sensi expressed solidarity with Meloni over what he called Trump’s “unqualifiable words,” while lawmaker Enzo Amendola posted a brief message of support. Democratic Party foreign affairs spokesperson Lia Quartapelle said that “the embarrassment belongs to him,” referring to Trump, while also expressing solidarity with the prime minister.
Criticism extends to Meloni’s approach to Washington. Not all opposition reactions focused solely on Trump.
- Angelo Bonelli, an MP from the Green and Left Alliance (AVS), argued that Trump’s remarks were “the direct consequence” of what he described as Meloni’s subordinate relationship with the U.S. president.
- Nicola Fratoianni, leader of Sinistra Italiana and a member of AVS, said he was concerned both by “a Trump without restraints” and by what he called Meloni’s “zero credibility internationally.” While expressing solidarity with the prime minister, Fratoianni said the episode was ultimately the result of her government’s political choices in its relationship with Washington.
The bottom line. Trump’s remarks prompted an unusually broad reaction across Italy’s political spectrum, with government officials, coalition allies and several opposition leaders defending Meloni and criticizing the tone used by the U.S. president toward Italy’s prime minister and the country she represents.
