World

Meloni on Dispute with Trump and US Relations

Wednesday, June 24, 2026
5 min read
Meloni on Dispute with Trump and US Relations

Meloni was trying to draw a line under the public fight with Donald Trump on Tuesday. She said she didn’t want to keep fueling this dispute. She wanted relations between Rome and Washington to just go back to normal.

“I do not intend to keep fueling this dispute,” Meloni stated. “I believe our bilateral relationship with the United States should return to normal.” But she admitted she wasn't sure about the theories floating around the controversy.

This comes after the public spat earlier that week. Trump had accused her of "begging" for a photograph during the G7 summit in France. He claimed he only aGreed because he felt sorry for her.

The photo war itself was messy. Meloni insisted she was genuinely surprised by the whole episode, and that surprise was real. She said her earlier remarks expressing surprise were sincere.

She talked about the speculation swirling around the dispute the viral videos, the claims that it was meant to distract from things like Iran or NATO developments. She made it clear she wasn't going to engage further on those sides.

“I’ve obviously read the various interpretations that have been circulating… I don’t know whether any of these explanations are true,” she admitted.

She emphasized how long the ties between Italy and the U.S. actually are. Decades of cooperation, she insisted. That history couldn't just vanish because of an argument on social media. These relationships were built on something solid.

“These are relationships built on such a long and solid history of cooperation that they don’t simply disappear or get redefined because of an argument on social media,” she stressed.

Meloni also pushed back against ideas that the dispute would change her foreign policy direction. Rome remained committed to strong transatlantic ties, she said. Her views hadn't shifted. It was the same foreign policy it had been for eighty years. She still felt keeping the U.S.-Europe relationship strong was incredibly important.

Foreign policy shouldn’t be treated like entertainment, she argued. There needs to be a more serious approach. We need to bring things back to the depth that foreign policy actually demands. It is far more complex than that.

Trump, meanwhile, brought up the photo issue again when speaking to Italy’s La7 channel. He claimed Meloni had repeatedly asked for a picture with him. His version of events was different. “She begged me to take a picture with her,” he asserted. “She wanted it so badly.”

Meloni dismissed this entirely. She called Trump’s statements completely made up. She was appalled by the behavior. She wondered why the President acted this way toward his own allies. It wasn't the first time, she thought. But there was one thing he needed to remember. “I and Italy never beg,” she replied sharply.

The photo dispute escalated further when Trump wrote on Truth Social that Meloni asked for a picture "over and over" at the G7 Summit in France.

Then came Trump’s other points about her popularity. He suggested it was poor because she turned down the U.S., a country that really loves Italy and protects it, especially concerning Iran’s nuclear ambitions. NATO also played a part there.

He added that she wouldn't even let them use Italian landing strips or runways a logistical headache. This happened despite the massive amounts of money the U.S. poured in annually to protect Italy and other allies. Hundreds of billions, year after year.

But Meloni countered this line of argument too. She called those constant attacks senseless. Her popularity wasn't tied up in that kind of dynamic with him. It didn’t depend on their relationship. It depended entirely on her ability to defend Italy’s national interest. That was what she always did.

She posted something on Instagram later, touching on the whole thing. She said her popularity was none of his concern. She suggested he should focus on his own issues instead.

Written by Gree News Team — Senior Editorial Board

Gree News Team covers international news and global affairs at Gree News. Our collective of senior editors is dedicated to providing independent, accurate, and responsible journalism for a global audience.

#sensational#world#global#trending

More from World

View All

Latest Headlines