Trump's 'photo' jab at Meloni: Wants to be friends again to boost poll numbers

U.S. President Donald Trump targeted Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in a post on his social media account. Claiming that Meloni repeatedly requested to take a photo with him at the G7 Summit in France, Trump criticized Italy for not supporting the U.S.'s Iran policies. Alleging that Meloni's popularity in her country is declining and reacting to Italy's refusal to allow the use of its bases, Trump included the following statements in his post:

“Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni repeatedly requested to take a photo with me during the G7 meeting in France. Popularity levels in Italy are going down; this is probably because Italy, which the U.S. truly loves and protects, refused to prevent Iran from obtaining or developing nuclear weapons (NATO did the same!). Despite the U.S. contributing hundreds of billions of dollars annually to protect Italy and the 'so-called' other NATO allies, we were not even allowed to use Italy's airstrips, causing us great logistical difficulty. Now, after the U.S. has militarily defeated Iran, Meloni wants to be friends again to boost her poll numbers. No thanks!”

MELONI RESPONDED YESTERDAY

This latest post by President Trump marked a new chapter in the ongoing 'photo' crisis between the two leaders. After Trump previously claimed to the Italian media that Meloni “virtually begged” to take a photo following the G7 Summit, the Italian Prime Minister responded to these statements in a video post on her social media account yesterday. Criticizing Trump's attitude towards his allies and emphasizing that the claims were fabricated, Meloni used the following statements in her response yesterday:

“Some things deserve an immediate response. Donald Trump's statements are completely fabricated. Frankly, I am astonished. I don't know why the U.S. President behaves this way towards his own allies. After all, this is not the first time. I can only say that it is sad that he does not show the same determination against the enemies of the West, the enemies of the U.S., as he adopts a much more conciliatory attitude towards these leaders. However, there is one thing he must remember: Neither I nor Italy will ever beg.”