Donald Trump Ignores Italian P.M. for NATO 'Family Photo' After 'Restraining Order Needed' Post Ramped Up Ugly Feud
Donald Trump snubbed Giorgia Meloni ahead of a NATO 'family photo' and the footage has gone viral.
July 8 2026, Published 6:00 p.m. ET
Donald Trump ramped up his feud with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni by ignoring her during a NATO "family photo," RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The president, 80, walked straight past Meloni, 49, without acknowledging her, as she smiled awkwardly and looked towards the ground.
'She Begged Me To Take A Picture With Her'
Trump has clashed with Giorgia Meloni over the past few weeks.
Trump ignored Meloni at NATO summit.
The awkward footage was captured on video and has since gone viral.
In the build-up to the summit, Trump posted a doctored image of himself with Meloni on Truth Social with the caption "Restraining order needed," a nod to the previous clashes.
The Commander-in-Chief’s relationship with Meloni broke down after he claimed she "begged" for a picture with him at the G7 Summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, last month.
He said, "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."
Giorgia Meloni Hits Back
Meloni launched a blistering attack on Trump in an explosive video message.
He then sneered: "She might be happy that I talked to her; I didn't have to talk to her."
But the Italian bit back, releasing a video statement saying: "Italy and I never beg. Some things deserve an immediate response. I don’t know why the U.S. president behaves this way towards his allies.
"It's not the first time it's happened. I can only say it's unfortunate he doesn't show the same determination towards the West's enemies."
She also accused Trump of going soft on America's actual adversaries while knifing long-standing allies in the back
"I can only say that it's unfortunate that he doesn't have the same determination toward the enemies of the West, toward the enemies of the United States, toward leaders with whom he appears much more accommodating," Meloni blasted.
'She Is Doing Poorly In Italy'
Trump taunted Meloni on social media.
But Trump refused to let her have the last word, taking to Truth Social the following day to double down on his claims.
"Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni asked, over and over, for a picture with me during the G-7 meeting in France," he raged.
"She is doing poorly in Italy with her level of popularity, possibly because she turned down the United States of America, a Country that truly loves and protects Italy, when it came to denying Iran from obtaining or developing a Nuclear Weapon."
The pair were once strong allies, so much so that Meloni was previously branded the "Trump whisperer" after she was the only European leader with a front-row seat at his January 2025 inauguration.
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Trump and Meloni were considered former allies.
She was also the E.U. leader of choice to head to the White House for a meeting last April, which was aimed at easing tensions over U.S. tariffs on European goods.
The bad blood traces back to a high-stakes military standoff in March, when Italy banned U.S. warplanes from landing at the Sigonella air base in Sicily ahead of operations in the Middle East.
The move sparked Trump’s blistering assault on Meloni, accusing her of cowardice and of abandoning both America and NATO in their hour of need.
Taking the ugly feud to the brink, Trump threatened the ultimate nuclear option: pulling U.S. troops out of Italy altogether.
He raged that Rome "has not been of any help to us" in the conflict with Iran.
