Italy’s Meloni Erupts At Trump Over His Obvious Lie, Who Then Doubles-Down

[00:00:01]I am frankly stunned. I don't know why the president of the United States behaves this way with his own allies.

[00:00:08]>> I love to end the week on some guilt-free drama. So, Italian Prime Minister Gora Maloney is uh not very happy with Donald Trump as she is claiming that he completely made up a interaction that they had which are you sure Donald Trump lying about an interaction he had with somebody? No way. Can't be. So, first let's just acknowledge this is somebody who came in as a far-right leader, was seen at the time as somebody who would be essentially upholding the Trump way of doing things, but for Europe. And I'm not saying that she isn't doing that, but I am saying that she's I'm trying to find a way to frame this where I'm not making her sound good because it doesn't mean she her politics are great. But we are talking about somebody who even she is annoyed with Donald Trump. somebody who otherwise you would expect to be politically aligned with uh chief dumbass in the White House. But this gets to what happened at the G7. So this interaction was caught on tape here. Um as Wuang for the is for the children. Uh great great name writes here. This doesn't look like someone that was begging for Trump uh begging Trump for anything. It looks much more like a typical Italian mom yelling at her child for doing something dumb. So yeah, we like this is it it doesn't like looks like look like she's happy, but Trump was uh apparently asked about their conversation, what they talked about. And uh here is what he said. This is so this was to the Italian press which has been dubbed over. I guess the the original version is not publicly available, but as the Guardian writes here, referring to Maloney during a brief interview with Italians LA7, a dubbed version of which was broadcast by the Italian TV network on Friday, Trump said, quote, "She's probably happy I talked to her. I didn't have to talk to her. 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." If I have ever heard it is this. there. This definitely did not happen. Uh he's clearly full of He's said things like this before about other interactions he's had. Of course, he's lying. Um the remarks, as The Guardian writes here, provoked a fury in Italy and words of solidarity from Maloney from across the political spectrum with Italy's foreign minister, Antonio Tjani, saying he had canceled a trip to the US next week. So, this is really irking people, this obvious lie that Trump made. Uh and Maloney herself came out to deny this. So, this was translated here by Scott Robertson. Uh, here is what she said.

[00:03:25]I can't say I am used to seeing other world leaders speak this clearly in rebuke of Donald Trump. So, in case you didn't want to read that, let me just uh quickly read her quote here where she stated, "So certain things deserve an immediate response. Donald Trump's statements are completely made up. I am frankly stunned." You're you're stunned really that Trump lies. I don't know why the president of the United States behaves this way with his own allies.

[00:03:48]It's not the first time this has happened. After all, I can only say it's a shame he doesn't show the same determination with the enemies of the West, with the enemies of the United States, with the leaders of whom instead he proves to be to be much more accommodating. But he must remember one thing. Italy and I never beg. Now we have gotten to a point where Trump's approval numbers are so low. He is so unpopular with his own country.

[00:04:15]Midterms coming up. He's expected that his party expect to get decimated.

[00:04:21]I think other world leaders are feeling a little more maybe freed up a little bit, a little unchained, a little more willing to say what is actually on their minds in a way that they hadn't previously. Now, Trump came back, believe it or not. So, I'm going to get to that. I'm also going to get to where a lot of this tension stems from because it actually goes back a couple months.

[00:04:43]But um Ron Flowski writing here on Twitter, Italian under secretary and senator uh Fazelari said, quote, "It is unclear whether out of intent or ineptitude, Trump is wrecking the historic relations between the US and Europe. With his inappropriate outburst, he managed no easy feat to make the US unpopular across the entire continent."

[00:05:05]And I mean that goes for Canada as well.

[00:05:08]I'm sure that goes for Mexico. That goes for much of the world at this point unless you live in Israel. And even now uh after the Iran deal, it appears or at least the beginning of an Iran deal. It appears that um Israelis are beginning to turn on him as well. So it it's we are in a situation where I just think people are feeling a little more uh free to say what they actually feel. So Trump responded. NBC News here later during a phone call with NBC News. Trump doubled down on his claim that Maloney has begged for a picture together.

[00:05:43]That's true. He said she wasn't there for us. Changing the subject immediately. She was a big fan, but I don't want her as a fan because she was not there along with the NATO group having to do with the straight. So clearly there's something else behind this. the fact that you changed the topic immediately to uh your war in Iran. Trump has complained that NATO allies did not offer help to American forces after the war began. But it even goes deeper than that. I mean, ultimately, it gets down to this.

[00:06:12]Earlier this year, Maloney criticized Trump after he lashed out at Pope Leo over the Pontiff's condemnation of the Iran War. That's what this actually stems from, that she came out to say, "I am defending the Pope and I'm criticizing Trump and he freaked out."

[00:06:31]So, this was uh during a time Pope Lee is back in April. Pope Leo says he has no fear after Trump labels him weak and terrible in feud over Iran war. So ridiculous. Uh Leo said something very just sane and normal, especially for the Pope. said that the world was being quote ravaged by a handful of tyrants and blasted leaders who spend billions on wars. How is this controversial in any way at all? It also doesn't even mention Trump even though I think it's clearly uh he's one of the people involved there, you know, him and Netanyahu. But Maloney came out to uh criticize Trump saying uh quote the pope is the head of the Catholic Church and it is the and it is right and normal for him to call for peace and to condemn all forms of war. Yeah, I mean the most obvious statement in the world, but that was enough for Trump to freak out as uh he decries Italy's Maloney for siding with the Pope and not supporting the Iran war. So stupid. I thought she had courage, Trump said in an interview. I was wrong. Give me a break. You got me here defending Maloney. I mean, we're not down a we're not down a good timeline, but it's just so insane that even far-right leaders have uh had enough of this So, this gets to the Iran war, which I'm just going to touch on briefly here. As Guardian writes, this is from Simon Jenkins.

[00:08:00]Trump thinks he is his freshly signed ceasefire deal is victory. It is for Iran. Now, I don't like this. I I want to be clear. This framing on this article isn't even necessarily negative.

[00:08:12]It's just pointing out that this is a better deal for Iran than it was for uh uh the the JCPOA under Obama's Iran deal. So going on to say uh he is offering Tran's military regime a $300 billion rebuilding fund, an end to economic sanctions, and a promise not to interfere in its internal affairs, which like good. I don't, you know, there's Chuck Schumer's out there as the leader of the Democratic party, at least the Senate leader, um criticizing the deal and saying, "No, we need to have it. We need to vote on this. Shut the up.

[00:08:49]The war is over for now. Let it be. The idea that you're going to, as the Democrats, you're going to try and blow it up to what? Continue a war with Iran.

[00:08:57]Are you out of your mind? Let Let Trump lose this deal. It doesn't matter. End it. So, I am I'm quite I mean quite pleasantly surprised that um Trump actually folded the way he did and uh we are on a better path because of it.