US President Donald Trump said Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni repeatedly begged for a photo with him at the G7 summit in France, and accused Italy of refusing landing rights for US military aircraft during operations against Iran — undermining logistics despite US financial contributions to NATO. Trump posted the statement on his social media account Saturday afternoon.
US President Donald Trump on Saturday escalated his public feud with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, posting a lengthy social media statement accusing her of repeatedly 'begging' for a photo at the G7 summit and criticizing Italy's refusal to grant the US military use of its airfields during operations against Iran.
Trump wrote that Meloni 'asked, again and again, for a photo with me' during the summit in France, and suggested she is unpopular at home partly because she 'rejected the United States of America, a country that truly loves and protects Italy, regarding preventing Iran from obtaining or developing nuclear weapons.' He also accused Italy of not allowing the US to use its runways, 'making logistics difficult,' despite what he described as US contributions of 'hundreds of billions of dollars a year' to protect Italy and other NATO allies.
'Now, after the United States defeated Iran militarily, she wants to be friends again to boost her numbers. No thanks!!!' Trump wrote.
The posting follows a week of transatlantic tension: on Friday, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani canceled a planned US visit after earlier Trump remarks in which he reportedly said Meloni had begged for a photo and that he only agreed because he 'felt sorry for her.' Meloni called those remarks 'absolute fiction' and said she was 'stunned.' The dispute comes amid broader friction between the Trump administration and European allies over the pace and terms of the US military campaign against Iran, and over defense burden-sharing within NATO.
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Source and signal
- Internal intake