Donald Trump hit with another blast from Georgia Meloni as Italian PM steps up photo row

Donald Trump hit with another blast from Georgia Meloni as Italian PM steps up photo row The furious row between US president Donald Trump and Italian PM Georgia Meloni has rumbled on after she told him to 'focus on his own popularity' amid tumbling approval ratings Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni has fired back at Donald Trump after he insisted she asked him 'over and over' for a photograph at the recent G7 summit. The bizarre row began this week after the US president gave an interview with an Italian broadcaster claiming that Meloni "begged" for the photo during the meeting in France, a version of events Meloni branded "completely fabricated." Neither side has shown any sign of backing down in the days since, with the fallout leading to Italy’s foreign minister cancelling a planned trip to the United States. After a furious Trump posted on Truth Social that Meloni was "doing poorly in Italy" and had refused to let him use US bases in the country for the Iran war, she issued her own frosty response yesterday - hinting at his faltering popularity among American voters. She wrote: "President Trump, these constant, unprovoked attacks are senseless. As for my popularity, being your friend certainly has not helped it, nor does it depend on my relationship with you. My popularity depends on my ability to defend Italy's national interest, and that is exactly what I have always done" "That is also what I did regarding the American military bases in Italy. Their use is governed by agreements that we have always respected, and that cannot be violated as long as I am Prime Minister. Italy remains a sovereign nation. In any case, my popularity is none of your concern. I suggest you focus on yours." Trump's post had said: "Italian Prime Minister Gigiorgia [sic] Meloni asked, over and over, for a picture with me during the G-7 meeting in France. She is doing poorly in Italy with her level of popularity, possibly because she turned down the United States of America, a country that truly loves and protects Italy, when it came to denying Iran from obtaining or developing a Nuclear Weapon (But so did Nato, for that matter!). "She wouldn't even let us use Italy's landing strips or runways, a great logistical inconvenience, and this despite the fact the U.S. contributes hundreds of Billions of Dollars a year to protect Italy, and other 'so-called' Nato Allies. Now, after the United States defeated Iran militarily, she wants to be friends again in order to get her 'numbers up.' No thanks!!!" He misspelled her first name in the initial post before later correcting it. The furore marks the latest fracturing in relations between the two right-wing populist leaders, with Meloni having congratulated Trump upon his election victory in 2024 and the pair appearing to be strategic allies during the opening months of his second term. Tensions began to show after he called her "beautiful" during a speech at the Gaza Peace Summit last year, with Meloni beginning to distance herself from Trump earlier this year over his military actions against Iran and his verbal attacks on Pope Leo.