Trump and Meloni are friends again: Leaders ‘reconciled’ at G7 summit

US President Donald Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni struck a conciliatory tone on the margins of the G7 in Evian on Tuesday, after weeks of public sparring had strained relations between the two leaders, Euronews writes.

“You’re friends again,” European Council President António Costa was overheard joking to Trump and Meloni as they gathered on the sidelines of the summit.

“We have always been friends,” Meloni replied.

“I was abandoned,” Trump retorted.

“No, you were not,” she said with a smile.

The exchange offered a glimpse of a relationship that has come under strain in recent weeks.

In April, Trump told the Italian daily Corriere della Sera that he was “shocked” by Meloni, adding: “I thought she had courage, but I was wrong.” The Italian leader shot back, noting that “courage is saying what you think, even when you don’t agree.”

The bickering followed Trump’s attack on Pope Leo XIV over his criticism of the war in Iran, which Meloni branded “unacceptable.”