Pres. Donald Trump of the USA and Georgia Meloni, Prime Minister of Italy. (Article photo: AFP/Palazzo Chigi Press Office)
The diplomatic dispute between pres. Donald Trump of the USA and Georgia Meloni, Italian prime minister, had an in-depth discussion with the US president over the weekend, who is now also linking it to the tension over Iran and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
The uproar comes after Trump claimed earlier that Meloni repeatedly asked him for a photo with him.
The spat exposed an unusual personal rift between Trump and one of Europe’s most prominent right-wing leaders, with Meloni presenting herself as a bridge between Washington and the continent after Trump became president again.
Trump initially told the Italian broadcaster La7 that Meloni “begged” him for a photo at last week’s G7 summit in France. According to him, he only agreed because he “felt sorry for her”.
An angry Meloni dismissed the claim as a “fabrication”. However, in a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump maintained that Meloni had asked him “over and over” for a photo at the summit.
He also accused her of trying to repair ties with Washington for domestic political reasons, after Italy did not support US action against Iran.
“Now, after the US has defeated Iran militarily, it wants to be friends again to ‘improve its numbers.’ No thanks,” Trump wrote.
He said Meloni was “doing poorly” in Italy and hinted that the performance was related to her refusal to allow the US to use Italian airstrips during the conflict with Iran.
Italian Prime Minister Gigiorgia Meloni asked, over and over, for a picture with me during the G-7 meeting in France. She is doing poorly in Italy with her level of popularity, possibly because she turned down the United States of America, a Country that truly loves and protects… pic.twitter.com/58uCXdyMVc
— Commentary Donald J. Trump Truth Social Posts On X (@TrumpTruthOnX) June 20, 2026
Trump also referred again to a previous complaint that the US spends large sums of money to protect its “so-called” NATO allies. He says Washington contributes billions of dollars to help defend Italy and other countries.
The comments are considered a significant escalation of a dispute that has already unleashed great anger in Rome.
Antontio Tajani, Italy’s foreign minister, suspended a planned visit to the US and said on Friday that Trump’s “serious and insulting” comments against Meloni “offend all of Italy”.