Italy Pushes Back Against Trump's Claims of Begging for Photo

ROME: The Italian government closed ranks on Friday to slam US President Donald Trump over his claim that Premier Giorgia Meloni had "begged" for a photo with him during the recent G7 summit, a pushback that suggested the longtime US ally had had enough of Trump's boasting. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani abruptly cancelled a planned trip to the United States this weekend, calling Trump's claims "serious and offensive" toward Meloni and all of Italy. Meloni, for her part, posted a video calling Trump's claims "completely fabricated" and expressing astonishment that he would invent such things about an ally. She concluded: "Italy and I do not beg."