Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni accused President Donald Trump of fabricating a story about her and posted a sharp video rebuke on social media Friday, June 20 — a rare public break between two leaders who had been among the closest allies across the Atlantic.
“Italy and I don’t beg,” Meloni said in the video, drawing a hard line over whatever Trump allegedly claimed. She didn’t spell out exactly what he said, but the denial was pointed — and public.
Italy’s top diplomat went a step further. He announced he was cancelling a planned visit to the United States over the alleged remarks, a concrete diplomatic signal that Rome isn’t letting the episode pass quietly.
The fallout is notable given how carefully Meloni had cultivated ties with Trump since his return to office. She’d positioned her government as Washington’s most reliable European partner — one of the few leaders in the EU who avoided early friction with the Trump administration. That relationship now has a visible crack in it, and neither side has offered a reconciliation path yet.
NPR reported the story Friday, June 19. The Italian government hasn’t specified which U.S. official the foreign minister was set to meet, and Trump’s team hadn’t issued a formal response as of the time of publication.
Originally reported by NPR. Read the original report.
