Trump and Italian Prime Minister Meloni trade public rebukes over G7 photo and Italy's Iran war stance

The public dispute between Trump and Meloni escalated on Saturday after Trump's initial comments aired Friday on the Italian broadcaster La7, during which he said Meloni had "begged" for a photo during the G7 meeting. Trump made the original remarks in response to a question about Ukraine, according to the Associated Press. La7 published a dubbed version of the exchange but not the original English audio.

In his Saturday Truth Social post, Trump went further, tying his criticism of Meloni directly to Italy's refusal to support U.S. military operations. He wrote that Meloni was "doing poorly in Italy with her level of popularity, possibly because she turned down the United States of America" during the Iran conflict, and called Italy's denial of U.S. airbase access "a great logistical inconvenience." He also noted that NATO allies broadly had not cooperated on the Iran campaign. Trump concluded by stating that Meloni "wants to be friends again" now that the U.S. and Iran have signed a memorandum of understanding halting hostilities for 60 days, adding "No thanks!!!"

Italy's decision to deny U.S. warplanes use of a Sicilian base dates to March, when the Italian government said parliamentary approval would be required for any offensive use of Italian facilities — a position Meloni reiterated in her Saturday response. Meloni wrote that Italy's base agreements "cannot be violated as long as I am Prime Minister" and described her country as "a sovereign nation." She also pushed back on Trump's comments about her approval ratings: "My popularity depends on my ability to defend Italy's national interest. In any case, my popularity is none of your concern. I suggest you focus on yours."