Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni dismissed suggestions that she was either anti-American or subservient to the United States, saying strong alliances are built on honesty rather than unquestioning loyalty. Speaking on 10 minuti on Rete 4, Meloni addressed the recent controversy sparked by US President Donald Trump’s remarks about her.
“I am not anti-American today; I was not kneeling yesterday. I am a person who believes that the West is stronger united, who believes that Italy is stronger in a united West, and who has worked and continues to work for this. After that, however, solid relationships are also based on frankness, and I am a frank person,” Meloni said, according to Italian news agency Adnkronos.
Her comments come after Trump claimed in a recent television interview that the Italian Prime Minister had been eager to have her photograph taken with him.
In an exclusive phone interview with L’Aria che tira on La7, Trump said, “Giorgia Meloni begged me to take a photo with her. She wanted a photo with me so badly. I might not have done it, but I felt sorry for her.”
When asked by the programme’s correspondent about his conversation with Meloni on the sidelines of the Evian summit, Trump replied: “She’s probably happy I spoke to her. I wasn’t obliged to speak to her.”
The remarks triggered a political backlash in Italy. Earlier this month, Italian Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani cancelled his planned visit to Miami for a business forum, saying Trump’s comments had insulted the country.
“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.
During the same interview, Trump also criticised Europe’s handling of energy and immigration, saying European leaders had “got everything wrong” on both issues. He warned that Europe would “never be the same” unless it addressed the challenges, describing immigration as “a disaster” and criticising the continent’s reliance on wind turbines for energy.
On Ukraine, Trump said the United States wanted peace but was not involved in the European Union’s accession process for Kyiv.
