Trump Repeats Claim Meloni Begged for G7 Photo, She Denies It

President Trump doubled down Thursday on his accusation that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni solicited a photo from him at the Group of Seven summit, a charge her office flatly rejected.

Trump repeated the claim that Meloni 'begged' him for a photo at the G7 summit earlier this week.
Meloni's office denied the characterization and pushed back on Trump's account.
The dispute centers on an interaction at the G7 summit, the precise location and timing of which neither side has formally specified.
Trump has now raised the photo allegation on at least two separate occasions.
No photograph documenting the disputed interaction has been publicly released by either government.

President Trump repeated Thursday his claim that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni “begged” him for a photograph at this week's Group of Seven summit, declining to walk back the accusation after her office denied it.

Trump made the remark publicly, marking at least the second time he has volunteered the photo-request allegation since the summit concluded. The characterization drew a denial from Meloni's side, with her office disputing Trump's version of the interaction.

Neither government has released a photograph from the exchange, specified the room where it allegedly occurred, or provided a timestamped account of the encounter.

The G7 summit, held in Kananaskis, Alberta, concluded earlier this week with the usual communiqué and the usual bilateral friction. Trade policy, tariffs, and alliance posture were all on the agenda.

The photo was not.