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demmiblue

(40,059 posts)
Fri Jun 19, 2026, 08:17 AM 7 hrs ago

Italian FM cancels US visit over reported Trump comments

Source: Yahoo/AFP

Italy's foreign minister on Friday cancelled a visit to the United States over reported comments by US President Donald Trump that appeared to mock Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

"The grave and offensive words of President Trump... offend the whole of Italy," Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who had been due to visit the US on June 21 and 22, said on X.

Meloni said she was "stunned" by Trump's comments to Italian channel La7 in which, according to a transcript provided by the network, he said Meloni "wanted a picture with me so badly" at the G7 summit and he agreed only because he "felt sorry for her".

He also suggested that Meloni might be "happy that I talked to her, I didn't have to talk to her".

Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/italian-fm-cancels-us-visit-111808632.html

36 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Italian FM cancels US visit over reported Trump comments (Original Post) demmiblue 7 hrs ago OP
Exactly how all should handle the felon Sanity Claws 7 hrs ago #1
Yep. Nobody wanted to "visit" Hitler except Chamberlain... Justice matters. 3 hrs ago #31
Yet, he remains POTUS. Hugin 7 hrs ago #2
Good move on Italy's part. Baitball Blogger 7 hrs ago #3
Hmm... demmiblue 7 hrs ago #4
This is not a repairable rift - Meloni cannot let this go and stay in her job Prairie Gates 7 hrs ago #5
Italian FM should post multiple photos of Meloni with Pope Leo... hlthe2b 7 hrs ago #7
Not all Italian-Americans... Gaytano70 7 hrs ago #11
I didn't say all, and I think "most" is demographically accurate Prairie Gates 6 hrs ago #17
My wife is an Italian American and thus my sons are as well. NNadir 6 hrs ago #16
How could any sane person be stunned by shithole?............ Lovie777 7 hrs ago #6
Here's what Meloni said on Instagram Prairie Gates 7 hrs ago #8
I certainly agree with her about trump being too 'accommodating'.... 70sEraVet 6 hrs ago #15
For those paying attention Prairie Gates 6 hrs ago #20
This message was self-deleted by its author wyn borkins 6 hrs ago #21
Well, that's what the voices in his head PatSeg 6 hrs ago #18
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni issued a statement " Vaffanculo, coglione". twodogsbarking 7 hrs ago #9
With the appropriate arm gesture. erronis 6 hrs ago #19
This is what foreign leaders SHOULD be doing Miguelito Loveless 7 hrs ago #10
"Senile Satan" sop 6 hrs ago #12
Her rebuke of him is priceless Torchlight 6 hrs ago #13
it is what our press should do. Don't give him air. 33taw 6 hrs ago #14
Video? AverageOldGuy 5 hrs ago #22
I hope Obama invites her to visit. twodogsbarking 5 hrs ago #23
Why would he invite a fascist? TommyT139 2 hrs ago #32
Well, it was a joke, but now that is lost. twodogsbarking 2 hrs ago #33
It's not lost ..Get Obama to invite Donald Trump for a barbeque at Obama's house.. chouchou 4 min ago #36
I'll choose to replay her speech on the dangers of NOT backing UKR against russia. Callie1979 1 hr ago #35
I'm surprised he didn't send her COL Mustard 5 hrs ago #24
fhat tinnie thing dave99 5 hrs ago #26
Barbarians. Martin68 5 hrs ago #25
Typical woman-hating narcissist AllyCat 4 hrs ago #27
And Meloni heads a RIGHT-WING GOVERNMENT more inline with his agenda Wednesdays 4 hrs ago #28
He is... 3catwoman3 4 hrs ago #29
Donny's ego and his mouth once again get in the way Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin 3 hrs ago #30
Typical dick-headed codswallop, from convicted felon mob boss Evolve Dammit 2 hrs ago #34

Justice matters.

(10,200 posts)
31. Yep. Nobody wanted to "visit" Hitler except Chamberlain...
Fri Jun 19, 2026, 01:01 PM
3 hrs ago

And his "visit" didn't last long.

Baitball Blogger

(52,847 posts)
3. Good move on Italy's part.
Fri Jun 19, 2026, 08:24 AM
7 hrs ago

Trump can't help himself. His mind is always stuck on Men's Locker Room mode.

demmiblue

(40,059 posts)
4. Hmm...
Fri Jun 19, 2026, 08:24 AM
7 hrs ago

Giorgia Meloni, the Prime Minister of Italy, had a few words for Senile Satan at the G7 Summit.

Hoodlum 🇺🇸 (@nothoodlum.bsky.social) 2026-06-18T00:23:58.018Z

Giorgia Meloni, "We are optimistic Trump will come?"

French official, "He will come, he said he will come"

Giorgia Meloni, "He's 45 minutes late"

Farrukh (@implausibleblog.bsky.social) 2026-06-16T20:18:42.399Z

Prairie Gates

(8,637 posts)
5. This is not a repairable rift - Meloni cannot let this go and stay in her job
Fri Jun 19, 2026, 08:29 AM
7 hrs ago

Trump is having a tantrum because Italy refused to assist with the Strait and even forbid "offensive" flights from the Sigonella airbase in Sicily. Before that, Trump did not consult with Meloni or other European allies before launching the war, with Meloni being the most humiliated of the bunch, since the Italian Defense Minister (Guido Crosetto) was literally vacationing with his family in Dubai on the day the war started.

Meloni has also pissed Trump off in other ways by being a big supporter of Ukraine and NATO; she also had a domestic political need to distance herself from Trump on trade (a pasta tariff was floated as punishment for unfair trading practices). She's a shrewd character who dropped her best friend Orban at the drop of a hat as soon as the political winds shifted.

Culturally, for Trump to say that Meloni was "begging him" for a picture is just a massive insult and loss of face that is not acceptable in an Italian context. She certainly pulled Tajani's trip to Miami. More consequences will follow. Italy has already added new barriers to Italian-Americans getting dual citizenship in recent years. I expect that these will now increase substantially. They will also slow-walk consular functions. They have a lot of little levers, especially on tourism (which is a domestic political problem anyway), to make Americans and Italian-Americans suffer.

Since most Italian-Americans are (unfortunately) conservative Trump voters, there's a hint of justice to it.

hlthe2b

(115,109 posts)
7. Italian FM should post multiple photos of Meloni with Pope Leo...
Fri Jun 19, 2026, 08:35 AM
7 hrs ago

No comment needed...

Gaytano70

(1,297 posts)
11. Not all Italian-Americans...
Fri Jun 19, 2026, 09:05 AM
7 hrs ago

Just to be very clear, I don't think it's helpful or true to say "most" about any ethnic group. This type of monolithic stereotyping caused Japanese-Americans to be forced into concentration camps in WWII. Choose your words carefully. Grazie 🇮🇹

Prairie Gates

(8,637 posts)
17. I didn't say all, and I think "most" is demographically accurate
Fri Jun 19, 2026, 09:54 AM
6 hrs ago

Obviously, there is a wide variety of opinion within a very expansive range of "Italian-Americanness." It's hard to put the guy in Queens who grew up with an immigrant parent whose native language was a Neapolitan dialect in the same demographic soup as Jared Lombardo from Naperville who has never heard a word of Italian outside of a Sopranos episode in his life. To be sure.

There's some data on this from Calandra, in any case.

NNadir

(38,817 posts)
16. My wife is an Italian American and thus my sons are as well.
Fri Jun 19, 2026, 09:50 AM
6 hrs ago

They all reside strongly on the political left.

At the time I met my wife I was turned on, I sheepishly confess, by her looks, but I fell in love with her for, among many things, her politics.

Prairie Gates

(8,637 posts)
8. Here's what Meloni said on Instagram
Fri Jun 19, 2026, 08:43 AM
7 hrs ago

Certe cose meritano una risposta immediata: le dichiarazioni di Donald Trump sono totalmente inventate, sono francamente allibita. Non so perché il Presidente degli Stati Uniti si comporti così con i propri alleati, non è del resto la prima volta che accade. Posso solo dire che dispiace che non abbia la stessa determinazione con i nemici dell'Occidente, con i nemici degli Stati Uniti, con leadership con le quali invece si dimostra molto più accondiscendente. Però una cosa se la deve ricordare: io e l'Italia non imploriamo mai

My translation:

Certain things require an immediate response: the declarations of Donald Trump are totally invented; they are, frankly, dumbfounding. I don't know why the President of the United States behaves this way with his actual allies, and it's not the first time that it has happened. I can only say that it's unfortunate that he doesn't have the same determination with the enemies of the West, with the enemies of the United States; with their leadership he shows himself to be much more accommodating. There is, however, one thing that he should remember: neither I nor Italy ever beg for anything.

70sEraVet

(5,722 posts)
15. I certainly agree with her about trump being too 'accommodating'....
Fri Jun 19, 2026, 09:45 AM
6 hrs ago

with our real enemies!

Response to Prairie Gates (Reply #8)

Miguelito Loveless

(6,021 posts)
10. This is what foreign leaders SHOULD be doing
Fri Jun 19, 2026, 09:00 AM
7 hrs ago

Cancel visits. Take umbrage. Recall ambassadors.

STOP pretending he is normal and not a Child Rapist. MENTION his criminal behavior, convictions, and sexual crimes. CONSTANTLY. DAILY!

Torchlight

(7,188 posts)
13. Her rebuke of him is priceless
Fri Jun 19, 2026, 09:20 AM
6 hrs ago

and I think pretty indicative of how all rational world leaders perceive him... a shameless buffoon performing witless stage-tricks for nickels and dimes whom must be tolerated on occasion for no reason other than decorum (like my drunk Uncle Lloyd at family holidays)

AverageOldGuy

(4,329 posts)
22. Video?
Fri Jun 19, 2026, 10:19 AM
5 hrs ago

I recall seeing video yesterday of her chewing Trump's ass -- all 4' 7" of her, shaking her finger in his face and chewing him out like a drill sergeant on a recruit!!!

TommyT139

(2,484 posts)
32. Why would he invite a fascist?
Fri Jun 19, 2026, 01:18 PM
2 hrs ago

Just because she has contempt for Trump doesn't mean she is a good leader.

From "Giorgia Meloni and the return of fascism: how Italy got here" (Sept. 2022) - a longish article, but a good one, albeit a bit dated.

Meloni can gaslight the public by making fascist assertions while claiming fascism no longer exists. Importantly, those who warn that fascism is making a comeback are derided as irrational. ...

Meloni opposes same-sex marriage, wants to put significant curbs on access to abortion to address the “emergency” of Italy’s declining birth rate and has made explicit references to Europe’s supposed “Judeo-Christian” roots. The latter is a common Islamophobic trope that has long formed a key part of European far-right ideology.

Her racism is also evident in a depiction of immigration as an invasion – via calls for a naval blockade and portrayal of “undocumented migration” as a UN plot. This plays willingly on racist “great replacement” narratives.


https://theconversation.com/giorgia-meloni-and-the-return-of-fascism-how-italy-got-here-190866

Callie1979

(1,475 posts)
35. I'll choose to replay her speech on the dangers of NOT backing UKR against russia.
Fri Jun 19, 2026, 02:31 PM
1 hr ago

And it a well known fact that one of Putins plans to weaken the EU is to flood them with migrants. This isnt new. He's been caught trying to do it to the Baltics from Belarus.
This is 5 years ago. It still applies today.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/13/europe/belarus-lithuania-border-migrants-eu-cmd-intl

COL Mustard

(8,476 posts)
24. I'm surprised he didn't send her
Fri Jun 19, 2026, 10:32 AM
5 hrs ago

A dick pic. He's that crude now.

(I know, he's always been that crude, but he has less of a filter now)

Wednesdays

(23,401 posts)
28. And Meloni heads a RIGHT-WING GOVERNMENT more inline with his agenda
Fri Jun 19, 2026, 11:46 AM
4 hrs ago

Geez, how inept can he be at diplomacy?

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