The President of the United States, Donald Trump, has again lashed out this Saturday against the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, deepening the personal crisis that erupted this week between the two leaders, who in the past boasted of being allies.
The conflict originated on Friday following the dissemination of a photograph of the two leaders during the G7 summit held in Évian (France). Trump claimed that Meloni had "begged" him to pose together for the picture, while the head of the Italian government responded by calling the US president a liar. Following these words, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani, decided to cancel an official trip to the United States after denouncing the "offensive" statements by the North American leader.
This Saturday, Trump reiterated the offense through social media, insisting that Meloni "repeatedly" asked him to take a joint photo because "her popularity in Italy is low, possibly because she rejected the help of the United States, a country that truly loves and protects Italy, to prevent Iran from obtaining or developing a nuclear weapon."
The US leader continues to reproach Italy for its distancing from the Iran war. After criticizing that Meloni "did not even allow the United States to use its runways" during the conflict, "which caused a great logistical inconvenience," Trump has once again stressed that Washington emerged victorious from the hostilities and has remarked that, in his opinion, the prime minister has lost any possibility of repairing the personal relationship between them.
"After the military victory of the United States over Iran, she wants to be our friend again to improve her image. No, thank you!", Trump concluded, closing the door to a reconciliation with Meloni.