WASHINGTON, July 6– U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday renewed his public feud with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni by posting an edited photo on social media implying the 49-year-old Italian leader is obsessed with him.
On his Truth Social, Trump posted a meme showing Meloni appearing to look upward at him, with the caption: “Restraining order needed.” Trump claimed last month that the Italian leader repeatedly sought photo opportunities with him during the G7 summit in France and that her domestic popularity had suffered because of her stance toward the United States.
“She’s probably happy I talked to her. I didn’t have to talk to her,” Trump told Italian broadcaster La7 last month. “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.” In response, Meloni said she was “astonished” by Trump’s “completely made-up” statements.
“There is one thing he should remember: neither I nor Italy ever beg,” said Meloni, who has been viewed as ideologically aligned with some of Trump’s positions.
Since the United States and Israel launched massive attacks on Iran on Feb. 28, Trump has repeatedly criticized Italy for refusing to allow the use of its airfields during U.S. operations related to Iran. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
