Donald Trump has had a very bigly bad week. He went overseas probably assuming he’d be showered with praise by other world leaders at the G7. Nope. Nor was praise heaped on him over in France at the dinner the Macrons hosted for the signing of his much trashed cease fire with Iran which he called an MOU. He needed a ‘win’ to brag about so he decided to try and pick on a female head of state by making up crap about her. In response Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni cut him off at the knees. Or perhaps cut off something a bit higher up!
Let’s review Trump very, very bad week. At the G& little news was made but clearly Trump didn’t steer the discussions or get anointed King of the World for fixing the world’s economy. He embarrassed us of course but all things considered he’s done worse. Okay so he had his ‘peacemaker’ nonsense to try and crow about. Given how both at home and abroad, the ‘deal’ he was touting with Iran probably got him far worse private criticism than we know about. Then France’s First Lady openly rebuffed Trumps attempt to plant a gross smooch on the lips and she openly shut him down in front of others. At least she didn’t puke all over that gorgeous gown although part of me wishes she had – like Exorcist projectile vomiting all over Trump’s face and chest!
Trumpty needed a win. Something. ANYTHING so he pulled a classic page from his playbook and made up a story about a world leader begging him for something. Of course he picked a woman. Interestingly she was one of the far right leaders who’ve come to power in Europe and had been an ally of Trump’s. However, given the multiple whuppings he’d taken he figured best to punch down and assumed it would be easier to do to a female head of state than a male one. (I guess he forgot how Germany’s Angela Merkle had put him in his place back in the day) Trump assumed Meloni ‘owed’ him – he’s like that. Thinking that HE is the reason anyone he likes gets elected, even in other countries.
That brings us to this report from The Associated Press Trump claimed PM Meloni “begged” him for a photo during the G7. In an interview interview with the La7 network that didn’t get broadcast until today the La7 correspondent had asked Trump about Ukraine. He turned the conversation to Meloni and a meeting the two of them had during the just-concluded G7 meeting in Evian-les-Baines, France. (Meloni and Trump were filmed speaking at several moments, including alone on a small sofa.) I guess Trump couldn’t help himself so he had to make up crap about how awesome he was:
According to La7, Trump said Meloni had “begged” him for a photo-op. Trump said he wasn’t obliged to do it but that he felt sorry for her and agreed, La7 said. The broadcaster put a dubbed version of the conversation online, not the original English audio.
Meloni is a Head of State in her own right and wasn’t about to put up with that kind of nonsense. She wasted no time calling him out as a liar! Or, as the AP article says longtime ally or not she was fed up with Trump’s boating and criticism:
Meloni for her part posted a video calling Trump’s claims “completely fabricated” and expressing astonishment that he would invent such things about an ally.
“Italy and I do not beg,” she said pointedly.
Good for her. Not so good for Trumpty’s oh-so-fragile ego. Alas, for Trump it gets worse because Meloni didn’t leave things as a mere ‘he said she said thing.’ No, Trump’s bullshit in trying to belittle her and by extension Italy was followed up with some diplomatic consequences:
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani abruptly cancelled a planned trip to the United States this weekend, calling Trump’s claims “serious and offensive” toward Meloni and all of Italy. The Foreign Ministry later announced that the business and scientific forum Tajani was to attend in Miami had also been called off.
Given all that’s going on the diplomatic insult dropped on Trump’s head likely won’t get much notice. Still, HE will know about it and it will sting. Worse for him is that word will spread with other allies who already are treating Trump and the United States like nothing more than another voice at the table. When he thinks about them basically giving him the STFU treatment at the G7 and realizes this public rebuke from a WOMAN will get circulated far and wide in European diplomatic circles it’s going to be yet another thing he stews about this weekend. And beyond.
To be crude, Mr. ‘Grab em by the pussy’ just had a female world leader grab HIM ‘by the balls’ and squeeze HARD. Enough to pop them. We should all offer a toast to Giorgia Meloni tonight.
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