Italy nixes envoy's visit as leader Meloni "stunned" by Trump's remarks

Italy's Prime Minister Georgia Meloni said Friday she was left "stunned" by President Trump reportedly telling an Italian network that she had "wanted a picture with me so badly" at the G7 summit earlier in the week, and that he only said yes because he "felt sorry for her." "She's probably happy I talked to her. I didn't have to talk to her," Italian TV channel La 7 quoted Mr. Trump as saying. The network only released an Italian voice-dubbed version of the conversation , so CBS News has not been able to verify his remarks. "She begged me to take a picture with her. She wanted a picture with me so badly. I wouldn't have taken it, but I felt sorry for ‌her," he said, according to the channel. From the left, President Trump, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni leave following a family photo at the G7 Summit on June 16, 2026, in Evian-les-Bains, France. Anna Moneymaker/Getty In a video posted online , Meloni, a conservative politician previously seen as an ally to the president in Europe, responded by calling Mr. Trump's depiction of the interaction "made up." "Neither I nor Italy ever beg," she said. "I don't know why the president of the United States behaves this way with his own allies." "I can only say that it's a pity he doesn't show the same determination with enemies of the West, with enemies of the United States, with leaders with whom, instead, he is far more accommodating," she added. Mr. …