Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, has dismissed recent comments attributed to United States President, Donald Trump, calling them “completely fabricated,” after his remarks about her sparked a diplomatic backlash and prompted Italy’s foreign minister to cancel a planned visit to Washington.
The controversy escalated on Friday after Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani announced he was scrapping his upcoming trip to the United States, where he was expected to meet Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Antonio Tajani described Trump’s comments as “offensive,” marking a sharp deterioration in ties following what had appeared to be a recent effort at repair between Washington and European allies during the G7 summit in France.
Trump, in an interview with Italy’s La7 TV, claimed Meloni had “begged” him for a photo at the summit and said he obliged out of sympathy.
The remarks, circulated with a dubbed Italian translation by the broadcaster, quickly triggered outrage in Rome and reignited tensions in the transatlantic relationship.
Responding in a sharply worded video posted on X on Friday morning, Meloni rejected the allegations outright and called for accountability over the claims.
“Donald Trump’s statements are completely fabricated. I’m frankly shocked. I don’t know why the president of the United States behaves this way towards his own allies, and it’s not the first time it’s happened,” she said in the video posted on X.
“I can only say that it’s a shame he doesn’t have the same determination with the enemies of the West, with the enemies of the United States, with leaderships with which he instead appears much more accommodating,” she continued.
“But you must remember one thing: Italy and I never beg,” Meloni said.
The fallout comes as Tajani was scheduled to travel to the United States early next week for the Italy–US Business, Investment, Science and Innovation Forum in Miami.
According to a US State Department statement, Secretary of State Marco Rubio was also expected to meet him to discuss closer cooperation on economic security and critical minerals.
The dispute marks another episode in a recurring pattern of tension between Trump and Meloni. Earlier in the year, Meloni criticized Trump’s comments targeting Pope Leo XIV over his opposition to the war against Iran, calling them “unacceptable.”
Trump later responded with criticism of Meloni and Italy more broadly, accusing the country of failing to provide sufficient support to US efforts in the conflict.
