A conservative Italian newspaper, Libero Quotidiano, published a strongly worded opinion article criticizing U.S.President Donald Trump following a public disagreement involving Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

The controversy began after Trump reportedly stated during an interview that Meloni had 'begged' him for a photograph during the G7 summit in France.Meloni firmly rejected the claim, describing it as false and accusing Trump of inventing the story.

In response, Libero Quotidiano published an editorial that used the Italian word 'coglione,' a vulgar insult roughly equivalent to calling someone an idiot or fool.

The article argued that Trump's remarks had unnecessarily damaged what many Italians viewed as a positive political relationship between the American president and Meloni.

According to the editorial, only someone acting without intelligence would undermine diplomatic goodwill by making what it described as an obviously untrue statement.The newspaper suggested that Trump's comments reflected poor judgment and criticized what it called the inadequacy of his leadership.At the same time, the article emphasized that its criticism of Trump should not be interpreted as hostility toward the United States.The authors acknowledged that many supporters of conservative politics in Italy had previously placed significant hopes in Trump's presidency.Despite the criticism, Trump reportedly maintained his position, telling NBC News that Meloni was a strong admirer of his.Meanwhile, Meloni received praise from some commentators and observers for publicly rejecting Trump's characterization of their interaction.

The incident highlights growing tensions between Trump and some international conservative allies who had previously been considered politically aligned with him.