0:00
Giorgia Meloni and Donald Trump have long appeared to be political soulmates
0:04
photographed together, laughing together, agreeing on almost everything. But this week, Trump told the Italian TV channel La Sette
0:12
that Meloni had begged him for a photo and that he only agreed out of pity
0:16
In a phone call with White House correspondent Daniele Compatangelo on La Sette's Lire Che Tira
0:22
Trump said, She's probably happy I spoke to her. I didn't have to
0:26
She begged me to take a photo with her. I didn't want to. I felt sorry for her
0:32
The diplomatic fallout was immediate. Trump's comments appeared to come unprompted. Compatangelo had asked what could bring the Russia-Ukraine war to an end
0:40
Trump said he was not involved in a conflict before shifting his attention to the Italian leader
0:45
asking, how's your prime minister? How is she doing? Italy's foreign minister, Antonio Tajani
0:50
cancelled a planned visit to Washington following the remarks. The deputy prime minister wrote on Twitter
0:55
the serious and offensive words of President Trump towards Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni
0:59
offend all of Italy. For this reason, I've decided to cancel my visit to the United States
1:05
And Meloni? She hit back on Instagram. Le dicharazioni di Donald Trump sono dicharazioni totalmente inventate
1:11
Addressing her 7 million followers, she said, these comments are entirely fabricated
1:16
But there is one thing he needs to remember. Neither I, nor Italy, ever beg
1:21
We asked La Repubblica's Antonello Guerrera what he makes of that. I think there is a great sense of unity supporting Meloni in all this
1:31
And not just, you know, from people that are usually, I mean, opposed to Donald Trump
1:37
but also to people from, even, you know, from the Deputy Prime Minister Salvini
1:43
I mean, he has always been good friends with Donald Trump. Then from, you know, the President of the Republic
1:51
everyone seems really united. I mean everyone seems united And I mean the whole society I mean to support the prime minister because it seems like it not just an attack to the prime minister but to the whole country you
2:10
know. So that's why I think, I think, I mean I've never seen so many people support supporting
2:18
George Meloni like that, like you know we have seen in the last few hours. Many politicians and
2:24
and not only politicians, many citizens and Italians, they felt those remarks by Donald Trump as an attack to the whole country
2:34
not just the prime minister, I mean, also an attack to the authority, not just the leader, but, I mean, Italy itself
2:44
Also, you know, I think Meloni was really clever when she just posted this video in response to Donald Trump
2:54
alleged remarks and she said, me and Italy will never beg because Donald Trump said that
3:03
she might have be said or she was begging for a picture with him. And so she connected
3:11
the two things. I mean, the offence that she took with an offence that it's to Italy as well
3:21
This isn't the first crack in the relationship. Early this year, when Pope Leo drew criticism for opposing the US strikes on Iran
3:28
Meloni publicly defended him, calling the attacks on the Pope unacceptable. Trump responded by accusing Meloni of not doing enough to support America in the Middle East
3:38
Meloni also denied the use of an airbase in Sicily to US military planes
3:42
carrying weapons for the war in Iran, saying that Americans had not followed the necessary procedures
3:47
And now, in the same Lassetta call, Trump reportedly went further, saying he doesn't need Italy's help to win wars
3:55
The rout comes just days after the two leaders appear to repair their relationship at the G7 summit A video from the summit which ran from Monday to Wednesday showed Meloni and Trump side by side on a sofa deep in conversation I think yeah this has been a trend in the last few months Until last year Italy has
4:19
always been like, you know, a country in Europe, but very, very connected, very linked to the
4:26
United States of Donald Trump, especially because Georgia Milone, she wanted to be the bridge
4:33
between the U.S. and Europe. But then she realized that it's not quite possible with an unpredictable
4:45
president like Donald Trump. And so that's why I think in the last few months we have seen
4:51
kind of Georgia Miloni tried to realign with European partners and because
5:00
I think she realized that maybe Donald Trump is not so reliable
5:09
as she originally thought and you know we are talking about it's not just
5:14
diplomacy and two countries I mean linked. There's also like, if I remember well, Donald Trump Jr., he wrote the preface of
5:28
George O'Meloney's book. So there is also a personal bond. It's not just diplomacy between
5:33
two countries. So that's why the rift that we have seen in the last few hours between
5:39
George O'Meloney and Donald Trump is extraordinary. It's interesting what the Speaker of the Senate
5:44
had said that these remarks against Meloni by Donald Trump maybe were, he mentioned this possibility of a revenge
5:58
of Trump on Meloni for something that she didn't abide or something that she didn accept I mean it didn went into specifics but it seems that the retribution was for something that Meloni did in the last few weeks maybe on Iran
6:16
because Italy, like the UK, they didn't support the U.S. attack, the Israeli and U.S. attack on Iran
6:26
We saw recently that Georgia Meloni, despite all her connections with Donald Trump, personal and political ones
6:35
I think she realized that he has to be closer to European partners and not being a leader of an American state in Europe
6:48
but has to be 100% part, integral and coherent and consistent part of Europe
6:58
because Europe is facing so many threats. Meloni's response on social media was welcomed by most parties across the political spectrum
7:06
who saw Trump's comments as an insult to Italy. Former Prime Minister and Five Star Movement leader Giuseppe Conte said
7:12
Italy doesn't deserve to find itself so blatantly humiliated. Ex-Prime Minister Matteo Renzi called Romeloni to wake up, suggesting she now understood that being Trump's ally means being against Italy and urging her to throw away her MAGA hat
7:27
And Giovanni Battista Fazzolari, Undersecretary to the Prime Minister's office, went even further. He said
7:33
it is unclear whether out of intent or ineptitude Trump is wrecking the historic relations
7:38
between the United States and Europe. With his inappropriate outbursts, he has managed no easy feat
7:43
to make the US unpopular across the entire European continent, damaging not only Europe, but above all, the US
7:51
ysts suggest Meloni may actually benefit domestically from sending out to Trump
7:55
who is highly unpopular in Italian opinion polls. But they also warn she risks losing a key part
8:01
of a political narrative ahead of next year's election. So where does that leave one of the right's most significant
8:07
transatlantic partnerships
