Trump deepens the dustup with Italy's Meloni, who says his 'unprovoked attacks are senseless'

By — Seung Min Kim, Associated Press Seung Min Kim, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-deepens-the-dustup-with-italys-meloni-who-says-his-unprovoked-attacks-are-senseless Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Trump deepens the dustup with Italy's Meloni, who says his 'unprovoked attacks are senseless' Politics Jun 20, 2026 12:27 PM EDT WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Saturday lashed out at Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, insisting that she asked "over and over" for a photo with him at the recent Group of Seven summit and criticizing what he said was Italy's lack of cooperation during the Iran war. The remarks deepen the spat that began this week with the Republican president's interview with an Italian broadcaster, during which Trump claimed Meloni "begged" for the photo during the G7 meeting in France. Meloni has called that "completely fabricated." The dustup led Italy's foreign minister to cancel a planned trip to the United States as Meloni's government lined up in her defense. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. "Italian Prime Minister Gigiorgia Meloni asked, over and over, for a picture with me during the G-7 meeting in France," Trump wrote on his social media platform while spending the weekend at the Camp David presidential retreat. He misspelled her first name in the initial post, which he later corrected. He continued: "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 Italy, when it came to denying Iran from obtaining or developing a Nuclear Weapon (But so did NATO, for that matter!)." READ MORE: Italy's Meloni pushes back on Trump's 'fabricated' claim as top diplomat cancels U.S. trip Meloni soon responded, saying in a statement to Trump that "these constant, unprovoked attacks are senseless." "As for my popularity, being your friend certainly has not helped it, nor does it depend on my relationship with you. My popularity depends on my ability to defend Italy's national interest, and that is exactly what I have always done," Meloni said in a post on Instagram. She added that "in any case, my popularity is none of your concern. I suggest you focus on yours." Trump's initial comments were aired Friday on the La7 network. A correspondent had asked the president about Ukraine, but Trump raised Meloni and made the claim about the photo. Trump said he was not obliged to take the picture with her but that he felt sorry for her and agreed, La7 said. The broadcaster put a dubbed version of the conversation online, but not the original English audio. READ MORE: Trump decries Italy's Meloni for siding with the pope and not supporting Iran war In his post, Trump also complained that Meloni would not allow the U.S. to use Italy's land