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Updated on: June 20, 2026 / 11:11 AM EDT
/ CBS News
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President Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni continued to trade barbs on Saturday, after Meloni previously said she was "stunned" by Mr. Trump reportedly telling an Italian network she had "wanted a picture with me so badly" at the G7 summit in France earlier in the week, and 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.In a video posted online on Friday, 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" and saying neither she nor her country "ever beg." Meloni previously said there had been a "very positive climate" and "no friction" between Mr. Trump and other leaders at the G7. Video showed the pair deep in conversation during the event.
