Meloni cancels diplomat's US visit after Trump mocks photo claim

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni posted a video on social media Friday rejecting what she called a 'completely made up' claim by US President Donald Trump that she had 'begged' him for a photograph during the G7 summit in France earlier this week. Trump had told Italy's La7 television that Meloni 'wanted a picture with me so badly' and that he 'felt sorry for her' and agreed to it. Meloni said she was 'frankly stunned' by the remarks and that 'neither I nor Italy ever beg.'

The row escalated when Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani cancelled a planned visit to the United States scheduled for July, according to France 24 and Al Jazeera. Italy's foreign ministry said the cancellation was in response to what it characterised as mocking and disrespectful comments. The BBC noted that the highly public exchange signals that Meloni and Trump's earlier close ties have frayed since Trump's decision to go to war with Iran—a move that has complicated Italy's position within the Atlantic alliance and the European Union.

For Italy's government, the dispute carries weight beyond the personal slight. Meloni has long positioned herself as Europe's bridge to Trump, cultivating an image as the continent's leader most aligned with his worldview. The Washington Post reported that Meloni had been labelled Europe's 'Trump whisperer,' a reputation that now sits uneasily with her public rebuke of the US president. Her government's decision to cancel a high-level diplomatic visit—an unusually blunt diplomatic gesture—underscores how seriously Rome views the breach.

The timing compounds Italy's diplomatic challenges. As a G7 member and a NATO ally, Italy has navigated the US-Iran conflict with caution, balancing American security interests against European concerns about escalation. Trump's public mockery of Meloni, delivered to an Italian broadcaster, appears designed to diminish her standing at home and abroad at a moment when her coalition faces domestic pressure over migration policy and economic management. Politico Europe reported separately this week that Meloni is also embroiled in a clash with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez over the EU's new migration crackdown, suggesting Rome's foreign-policy position has grown more isolated within Europe even as its US relationship deteriorates.

The incident reflects a broader shift in the transatlantic relationship. Trump's return to office has already strained ties with several European governments, but Italy's public response—cancelling diplomatic visits and posting video rebuttals—marks a sharper break than some allies have risked. Whether the row signals a fundamental recalibration of Italy's approach to Washington, or a tactical show of strength for domestic consumption ahead of next year's elections, remains unclear. The foreign ministry has not yet clarified whether the cancelled visit will be rescheduled.