Italian foreign minister Antonio Tajani has cancelled a planned visit to the United States after President Donald Trump made controversial remarks about Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, triggering a diplomatic row between two leaders once considered close allies.Tajani announced Friday that he would no longer travel to Miami for the Italy-US Business, Investment, Science and Innovation Forum and a scheduled meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.“The serious and offensive words of President Trump towards Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni offend all of Italy. For this reason, I have decided to cancel my visit to the United States scheduled for the next 21 and 22 June,” Tajani wrote on X.The dispute erupted after Trump, speaking to Italian broadcaster La7, claimed Meloni had sought a photograph with him during the recent G7 summit in France.“She begged me to take a picture with her. She wanted a picture with me so badly. I wouldn’t have taken it, but I felt sorry for her,” Trump said, according to a dubbed Italian translation aired by the broadcaster.Meloni swiftly rejected the claim in a video posted on X, calling Trump’s remarks false and questioning his treatment of allied leaders.“Donald Trump’s statements are completely fabricated. I’m frankly shocked. I don’t know why the president of the United States behaves this way towards his own allies, and it’s not the first time it’s happened,” she said.“I can only say that it’s a shame he doesn’t have the same determination with the enemies of the West, with the enemies of the United States, with leaderships with which he instead appears much more accommodating.”“But you must remember one thing: Italy and I never beg.”The diplomatic fallout widened as senior Italian political figures rallied behind Meloni. Giovanbattista Fazzolari, undersecretary to the Presidency of the Council, accused Trump of damaging transatlantic ties.“Trump’s rants about Giorgia Meloni are just the latest episode of attacks and insults directed at European leaders. It is unclear whether by will or ineptitude, he is ruining the historical relations between the United States and Europe. With his inappropriate statements, he has succeeded in the not-so-easy task of making the US unpopular throughout the European continent, damaging not only Europe but above all the United States,” Fazzolari said, according to Adnkronos.Luigi Marattin, secretary of the Liberal Democratic Party, also voiced support for the prime minister.“When a foreign head of state, an unworthy pro-tempore representative of a nation that is a bulwark of dignity, freedom, and democracy, insults our Prime Minister, politics must react united. It is not a matter of right, left, or centre. But of national dignity. Right (or left) or wrong, it’s my country. Solidarity from the Liberal Democratic Party to Giorgia Meloni,” Marattin posted on social media.Trump later renewed his criticism during an interview with NBC News, linking it to what he viewed as insufficient European support during the conflict with Iran.“I don’t want her as a fan because she was not there – along with the NATO group – having to do with the Strait,” Trump said, referring to the Strait of Hormuz.The latest clash marks another setback in relations between Trump and Meloni, who had previously been regarded as one of the US president’s closest allies in Western Europe. Meloni was the only major European leader to attend Trump’s second inauguration and has shared common positions with him on issues such as immigration and national sovereignty.However, differences over the Iran conflict have strained the relationship in recent months. Earlier this year, Meloni described Trump’s criticism of Pope Leo XIV over his opposition to the war against Iran as “unacceptable,” while Trump subsequently accused Italy of failing to adequately support the United States during the conflict.The cancellation of Tajani’s visit also led to the postponement of the Italy-US Business, Investment, Science and Innovation Forum, which had been expected to focus on economic cooperation, critical minerals and investment ties between the two countries.
