Trump Criticizes Italian Prime Minister Over G7 Photo and Iran War Cooperation

President Donald Trump criticized Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, accusing her of repeatedly requesting a photo during the recent Group of Seven (G7) summit. Trump also expressed dissatisfaction with Italy’s role in the Iran war. This follows an interview where Trump claimed Meloni ‘begged’ for a photo at the G7 event in France, a claim Meloni labeled ‘completely fabricated.’

The incident escalated this week, resulting in Italy’s foreign minister canceling a planned visit to the U.S. in support of Meloni. During a working lunch at the G7 in Evian-les-Bains, France, Trump accused Meloni of poor domestic popularity, connecting it to her policies concerning the U.S. and Iran. Trump’s social media post repeated this claim, but included a spelling error of Meloni’s first name, which he later corrected.

Trump contended that Italy and NATO did not prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear capabilities, leading to his dissatisfaction. Meloni responded on Instagram, stating that Trump’s attacks were baseless, and noted that her popularity hinged on safeguarding Italy’s national interests, which she had consistently prioritized. She suggested Trump focus on his popularity instead.

Trump’s remarks aired on the La7 network, where he diverted from questions about Ukraine to talk about Meloni and the photo request. Trump was reportedly not obliged to take the photo but agreed out of sympathy for Meloni. The conversation’s dubbed version was made available online, lacking the original English audio.

Besides their differences over the photo, Trump addressed Meloni’s decision to restrict U.S. military access to Italian airstrips during the Iran conflict. He tied this to broader NATO-related frustrations preceding his meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. Italy, serving as a significant logistics hub for the U.S., had earlier refused to permit American bombers from using a Sicilian base without parliamentary approval, citing constitutional boundaries and public opposition to the war. Meloni had reiterated the necessity of parliamentary agreement for such actions.

Trump expressed his discontent about their current relations, claiming Meloni wanted to mend ties following the deal between the U.S. and Iran to end the conflict.