Italy's Meloni unloads on Trump as fracture grows over G7 incident
· Axios
Donald Trump and Giorgia Meloni's war of words over a factually contested photo op at the G-7 exploded on Saturday, with the one-time friends blasting each other in angry terms on social media.
Visit freshyourfeel.org for more information.
Why it matters: Even as Trump lavishes praise on American adversaries like China's Xi Jinping, close allies are increasingly willing to split with him.
Catch up quick: The controversy erupted earlier this week when Trump claimed Meloni begged him for a photo together at the global gathering in France.
- Meloni was quick to deny she'd ever made such a request.
- Trump took to Truth Social Saturday morning to again insist she'd begged for a picture in an effort to improve her poll numbers, and to accuse her of being ungrateful for American support.
- "[S]he wants to be friends again in order to get her 'numbers up.' No thanks!!!" Trump wrote.
Driving the news: Meloni blasted Trump in an Instagram post just minutes later.
- "President Trump, these constant, unprovoked attacks are senseless," she wrote.
- "As for my popularity, being your friend certainly has not helped it, nor does it depend on my relationship with you."
- The Italian press sided with their prime minister; one newspaper insulted Trump in vulgar terms on its front page Saturday.
Between the lines: The U.S.-Italy relationship has grown strained in recent months over the war in Iran.
- Italy at one point denied U.S. aircraft permission to land at its bases.
- Meloni, in her Instagram post, defended that decision as a matter of protecting Italian sovereignty.
"In any case, my popularity is none of your concern. I suggest you focus on yours," she wrote.
The bottom line: At a fraught moment for international relations, the U.S. has another brewing diplomatic crisis on its hands.