It seems incredible that what could be described as a ‘he said / she said’ between US president Donald Trump and Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni has become an international incident. In the aftermath of Trump claiming Meloni ‘begged’ him for a photo at last week’s G7 summit in France (a claim categorically denied by the Italian PM), Italian foreign minister Antonio Tajani cancelled his scheduled meeting with US counterpart Marco Rubio next month. The rhetoric between the two countries has only escalated since, with Trump accusing Italy of being an ungrateful ally.
Do Europe’s populists have a Trump problem?
