Trump: "Begged for a Photo to Boost Approval" vs. Meloni: "Focus on Your Own Approval Rating"

War of Words Over G7 Photo Continues on Social Media

The so-called "photo begging" dispute between U.S. President Donald Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni continues.

On the 17th (local time), U.S. President Donald Trump was conversing with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during the Group of Seven (G7) summit held in Évian, eastern France. Office of the Prime Minister of Italy

On June 20 (local time), President Trump and Prime Minister Meloni continued their war of words over photos taken during the Group of Seven (G7) summit via social networking services (SNS). Initially, Prime Minister Meloni maintained a close relationship with President Trump, to the extent that she was the only European leader to attend his inauguration last year. However, after the early outbreak of war, President Trump engaged in several verbal clashes with the Pope, and the relationship between Prime Minister Meloni and President Trump subsequently became more distant.

The previous day, in an interview with Italian private broadcaster La7, President Trump claimed, "Prime Minister Meloni begged me to take a photo with her," adding, "I didn't want to, but I felt sorry for her, so I did." Referring to a photo of the two sitting on a sofa and having a conversation, President Trump remarked, "She was probably happy that I talked to her," and added, "I didn't need to have that conversation."

In response, Prime Minister Meloni emphasized, "This is a completely fabricated story," and stated, "Italy begs no one." In protest, the Italian side even canceled Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani’s planned trip to the United States. Minister Tajani wrote on social media, "President Trump's remarks insulted the entire nation of Italy," and stated, "President Trump is destroying our historic relationship."

Nonetheless, President Trump reiterated in a post on his Truth Social account that "Prime Minister Meloni repeatedly asked me to take a photo with her during the G7 summit in France," and further commented, "She wants to be friends again to boost her approval ratings, but I will decline." He continued, "Prime Minister Meloni's approval ratings are low, perhaps because she rejected the United States, which truly loves and protects Italy, regarding Iran's development or acquisition of nuclear weapons. Even though the United States provides hundreds of billions of dollars every year to protect Italy as part of the so-called North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) alliance, she did not even allow us to use Italian landing sites or runways," criticizing the inconvenience this caused for transportation.

Prime Minister Meloni also posted on SNS the same day, countering, "These relentless, baseless attacks are meaningless." She argued, "Being your friend never helped my approval ratings, nor are my approval ratings determined by my relationship with you," adding, "Approval ratings depend on the ability to defend Italy's national interests, and I have always done so."

She further pointed out, "In any case, my approval ratings are none of your concern," and recommended, "I suggest you focus on your own approval ratings."

According to a recent opinion poll released on May 18 by The New York Times and Siena College, only 37% of Americans said they supported President Trump’s job performance. This is the lowest figure for his second term according to polls conducted by The New York Times and Siena College.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.