Trump, Meloni photo request dustup latest sign of split between US president, Italian leader

Italian leader Giorgia Meloni on Saturday disputed President Trump's comment to a report that she begged him for a photo together at G7 summit earlier this week in France. 

“I and Italy never beg," she said. Meloni also called Trump's boast "totally fabricated."

Trump told Italian broadcaster La7 that Meloni pleaded with him for a photo at the meeting of leading industrialized nations in the French resort of Evian-les-Bains earlier this week, according to NBC.com.

The comment appeared in response to Melonia not supporting the U.S. war with Iran, or at least the consequences of the Strait of Hormuz being blocked as a result. 

“She wasn’t there for us," Trump later told NBC News. "She was not there – along with the NATO group – having to do with the strait."

Trump and Meloni once appeared close, at least politically, considering they were leaders in the global, right-leaning populist/nationalist movement. 

Following the photo flap, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani announced that he was canceling a planned trip to the U.S. next week, NBC News also reports.