Italy's female Prime Minister and Donald Trump exchanged sharp rhetoric again, with the Italian leader telling the U.S. president to worry about his own popularity after he had questioned hers.
On Saturday, 20 Jun 2026 GMT+7, Giorgia Meloni, Italy's Prime Minister, responded to U.S. President Donald Trump again via social media after he questioned her political approval ratings and claimed she tried to beg for a photo with him.
Trump said the Italian female Prime Minister "is performing poorly judging by her approval ratings" and accused Meloni of not supporting U.S. efforts to prevent adversaries like Iran "from acquiring or developing nuclear weapons."
Later, Meloni posted a statement on Instagram (IG) calling Trump's "continuous baseless attacks" "nonsense."
"As for my approval ratings, being friends with you certainly hasn't improved them, nor do they depend on my relationship with you," Meloni said. "My approval ratings are not something you need to worry about. I suggest you focus on your own instead."
Earlier, Trump criticized Meloni for causing major logistical problems by banning U.S. use of Italian airspace for American military missions in Iran.
However, the Italian leader clarified that the use of bases in Italy "is governed by agreements we have always respected, and those agreements will not be violated as long as I remain Prime Minister."
The back-and-forth between the Italian leader and the U.S. president reflects growing rifts between the two countries since Trump began military operations against Iran earlier this year, with Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani canceling a planned U.S. trip scheduled for early next week.
This all began with photos of Trump and Meloni standing closely while talking at the recent G7 summit. Afterwards, the Italian female leader told reporters their relationship remained unchanged and that "no accusations were made."
But shortly after, Trump gave a phone interview to Italy's La7 TV, claiming, "She begged to take a picture with me, so I felt sorry for her... She must be happy I agreed to talk."
Meloni then posted on Instagram that she was "truly shocked" and "didn't understand why the U.S. president would behave this way toward an allied country," adding this was not the first such incident.
"But one thing he needs to remember is that neither I nor Italy have ever begged anyone," Meloni said. Her message received overwhelming support from politicians across Italy's political spectrum.
Previously, the two leaders exchanged rhetoric earlier this year after Trump posted criticism of Pope Leo XIV, accusing him of "appeasing crime and being terrible on foreign policy," prompting the Italian Prime Minister to declare Trump's remarks unacceptable.
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Source:bbc