Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s fiery spat with US President Donald Trump over his claims that she “begged” him for a photo at the G7 reflects her political calculation that being associated with Trump is now a liability, analysts said.
Meloni said Trump fabricated the incident, and criticized his treatment of Washington’s allies. Firing back at his barb about her waning popularity, she said, “Being your friend… has not helped it.”
The escalation by one of Trump’s closest ideological allies — once viewed as Europe’s “Trump whisperer” — underscores Meloni’s transition “from a populist politician to a practical one,” Bloomberg wrote. As Meloni gears up for reelection, she’s well aware that Trump is “electorally toxic in Europe,” a former Italian diplomat said.