The transatlantic truce lasted less than 48 hours. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Friday accused President Donald Trump of fabricating claims she "begged" for a G-7 photo, as Italy's foreign minister canceled a U.S. trip and a bilateral business forum in Miami collapsed.
The transatlantic truce lasted less than 48 hours.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Friday accused President Donald Trump of fabricating claims she "begged" for a G-7 photo, as Italy's foreign minister canceled a U.S. trip and a bilateral business forum in Miami collapsed.
"The statements by Donald Trump are completely invented," Meloni said in a video posted to her 7 million Instagram followers. "I don't know why the president of the United States behaves this way toward his own allies."
Trump told Italian broadcaster La7 that Meloni had "begged" him for a photo at the G-7 summit in Évian-les-Bains, France, this week. The White House did not respond to requests for comment. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani called the remarks "serious and offensive" and scrapped his planned trip to a U.S.-Italy business forum in Miami, where he was to meet Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The Italian embassy later canceled the forum entirely.
The rupture ends what had been Trump's closest European alliance. Meloni was the only EU leader to attend his January 2025 inauguration, and Trump repeatedly called her "fantastic" and a "friend." But the relationship fractured in April after Meloni refused to support the U.S.-Iran war and defended Pope Leo XIV from Trump's criticism. The feud now threatens economic cooperation between the two countries at a time when transatlantic trade tensions are already elevated.
A friendship unravels
Meloni and Trump had built one of the strongest personal relationships between a European leader and the U.S. president. Weeks before Trump's second inauguration, Meloni visited him at Mar-a-Lago, calling the meeting "beyond expectations." She positioned herself as a bridge between Washington and Brussels, urging European leaders to avoid confrontations with Trump.
That strategy collapsed in April when Trump lambasted Pope Leo XIV for opposing the U.S. war against Iran. Meloni called his words "unacceptable," triggering a broadside from Trump in which he accused her of lacking courage. The exchange caused deep personal offense, senior Italian officials said.
Trump's latest comments — that Meloni "begged" for a photo and that he agreed only because he "felt sorry for her" — drew an immediate backlash across Italy's political spectrum. President Sergio Mattarella called Meloni to offer support. Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said he could not imagine Meloni asking anyone for a photo "not even under threat." Justice Minister Carlo Nordio referenced the graves of American soldiers who died liberating Italy in World War II, saying they "did not deserve such a painful blow to our fraternal ties."
Even Spain's Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez offered solidarity. "All my solidarity against this attack that is not political or personal," he told reporters.
Market and economic stakes
The canceled business forum was expected to draw several hundred Italian and American companies. The State Department had touted the two-day Italy-U.S. Business, Investment, Science and Innovation Forum at Miami's Biltmore Hotel as a showcase of bilateral cooperation on economic matters, security and critical minerals.
The diplomatic rupture adds to a growing list of transatlantic frictions. Trump's tariffs on European goods, his threats to seize Greenland, and his demands that NATO allies increase defense spending to 5% of GDP have eroded trust on both sides of the Atlantic. The last time a U.S. president publicly disparaged a major European ally in such personal terms, diplomatic engagement took months to restore.
For investors, the feud introduces uncertainty into U.S.-EU economic relations beyond the trade disputes already priced into markets. Italy is a key logistics hub for the U.S. military and a major trading partner, with bilateral goods trade totaling $67 billion in 2025, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. Any disruption to that relationship carries real economic consequences.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.
