US President Donald Trump has once again stepped on Italian toes. It goes so far that Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani is canceling his visit to the United States next week after “serious and insulting” statements by Trump. According to the Italian channel ‘La7’, he said that he had his photo taken at the G7 summit out of pity for Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, after she had “begged him for it”.
Journalist at HLN
Source: ANP
Trump’s statements “are an insult to all of Italy,” said Tajani, who was expected in the US on Monday and Tuesday. So that is no longer possible.
Meloni: “Completely made up”
Meloni previously told ‘La7’ that he was “astonished” by Trump’s statements about their contact at the G7 summit. According to her, his statement was “completely fabricated”. “There is one thing he must remember: neither I nor Italy ever begs,” the Italian prime minister said.
She repeated that message on Friday in a video message on
“I can only say that it is a pity that he does not show the same determination towards the enemies of the West, towards the enemies of the United States, towards leaders towards whom, on the other hand, he appears to be much more lenient. But he must remember one thing: Italy and I never beg.”
Trump: “I felt sorry for her”
Trump himself started talking about Meloni in a short interview with ‘La7’. “She’s probably happy I talked to her. I didn’t have to talk to her,” according to a transcript from the station. “She begged me to take a picture with her. She really wanted to take a picture with me. I wouldn’t have done it otherwise, but I felt sorry for her.”
Deteriorated relationship
Meloni and Trump were known as allies, but their relationship deteriorated after Trump lashed out at Pope Leo for his criticism of the war with Iran. Meloni called Trump’s statements “unacceptable”, to which he said that “she is unacceptable”.
Before that, Italy refused to give the US permission to use an air base in Sicily for operations against Iran, also to the great dismay of the American president.
