POLITICS — June 20, 2026
Italian Foreign Minister Cancels US Trip After Trump Remarks on Meloni
President Donald Trump made the claim in an interview with La7, prompting Meloni to release a video rejecting it as fabricated and Tajani to cancel the June 21-22 visit to Washington.
The Ehtebar Desk — originates with Pajhwok — 2 min read
US President Donald Trump claimed in a telephone interview with Italian TV channel La7 that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had begged him for a photo at the G7 summit in France.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni rejected the comments as fabricated. She released an Instagram video with the title Italy and I Never Beg to counter the claim.
Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani canceled his planned visit to the United States. The visit was scheduled for June 21-22.
Tajani described the remarks as serious and offensive. He said they represented an insult to all of Italy in a message posted on X.
The cancellation of the visit is a direct response to the statements made by President Trump. The interview took place with the Italian broadcaster La7.
Meloni's video was posted on Instagram to address the issue publicly. Tajani's comments were made on the social media platform X.
The G7 summit was held in France according to the claim. These events have led to a diplomatic dispute between the United States and Italy.
The prime minister emphasized that Italy and she never beg in the video title. The foreign minister called the remarks an insult in his statement.
This sequence of events started with the interview by President Trump. It was followed by the response from Prime Minister Meloni. Then the announcement by Foreign Minister Tajani regarding the cancellation.
Read the original reporting at Pajhwok →
Reliability assessment
Single source provides direct, on-record attribution with concrete quotes from named public figures (Trump, Meloni, Tajani) making verifiable statements; the core events are corroborated by the attributed quotes themselves.
The source language mixes facts with framing or advocacy wording. Pajhwok: "begged" for a photograph, "completely fabricated", "serious and offensive remarks ... are an insult to all of Italy" — these phrases introduce emotional framing, personal accusation, and value judgments on the US president's statements toward an ally.
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Politics — Donald Trump, Giorgia Meloni, Antonio Tajani, G7 summit, US-Italy relations
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