Meloni’s latest spat with Trump began when the U.S. leader told Italian broadcaster La7 TV last Friday that she “begged” him for a photo with her during last week’s G7 Summit and that he only granted it because he “felt sorry” for her.

Trump attributed the photo op to Meloni “doing poorly in Italy with her level of popularity” in a Saturday post on Truth Social, suggesting that her low approval ratings were due to her refusal to help the U.S. in its war with Iran.

“Now, after the United States defeated Iran militarily, she wants to be friends again in order to get her ‘numbers up,’” Trump wrote. “No thanks!!!”

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani cancelled a trip to the U.S. this weekend, citing Trump’s “serious and offensive” remarks. In a Friday video posted on X, Meloni called Trump’s story about the photo “completely fabricated,” emphasizing: “Italy and I never beg.”

In the Friday video, Meloni added: “I don’t know why the President of the United States behaves this way toward his own allies. After all, this isn’t the first time this has happened.”

In a separate social media post on Saturday, the Italian leader claimed that her friendship with Trump “has certainly not helped” her attain domestic popularity, which she said depends on her ability to defend Italy’s national interests. “In any case, my popularity is none of your concern,” Meloni said. “I suggest you focus on yours.”

The fallout

The shift in the relationship between the two leaders began after Meloni’s government lost a referendum on justice reform in March. Observers noted that Meloni’s loss, a setback in her grip on power in Italy, was a barometer of how Italians perceived her closeness with the U.S. President and how many were troubled by Trump’s globally destabilizing actions like launching a war on Iran.

Since then, Meloni has increasingly distanced herself from Trump. In late March, the Meloni government didn’t let U.S. military aircraft en route to the Middle East land at the Sigonella ​air base in Sicily. Days later in April, before the Italian parliament, Meloni enumerated instances in which her government disagreed with the White House. “As is normal among allies, we must clearly say even when we do not agree,” she said.

Meloni and Trump met several times at the three-day G7 summit in the French town of Évian-les-Bains last week. Reuters reported, citing a European diplomatic source, that Meloni had outspokenly challenged Trump on several points and had defended Europe and called him out for saying he had been abandoned by his allies in the West. On the sidelines of a G7 roundtable, European Council President António Costa had joked that Meloni and Trump appeared to be “friends again,” to which the U.S. President replied: “I was abandoned.” Meloni quickly said that wasn’t true.

The latest insult from Trump, however, has drawn several swift reactions from across Italy. “Whoever attacks Giorgia Meloni, attacks all of us,” Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini wrote on X.  

Voices from the political opposition also sided with Meloni: Filippo Sensi, a senator for the center-left Democratic Party, said that “no one is allowed to adopt such an arrogant tone toward the person leading the Italian government.”