TOI correspondent from Washington : In the high-stakes theater of global diplomacy, world leaders are accustomed to dealing with classified cables, complicated negotiations, and delicate treaties. What they are generally unprepared for is a US President who treats international summits like an episode of The Apprentice.
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The latest geopolitical casualty of Donald Trump’s bare-knuckle approach to bilateral ties is Italian PM Giorgia Meloni, once a staunch European ally and the only major EU leader to attend his 2025 inauguration. Turns out that bellesima is fuming after the MAGA boss claimed in an interview to Italian media that she had begged him to take a selfie with her at the recent G7 summit and he had obliged because he felt sorry for her.
Meloni’s response was blunt and brutal. In a video she released on social media, she called Trump’s claim fabricated and said, "There is one thing he should remember: neither I nor Italy ever beg." The Italian government closed ranks, with Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani canceling his scheduled trip to Miami, calling the President's boast "serious and offensive."