Watch: Italian reporter asked Donald Trump if he says European ‘parasites’; Georgia reacts meloni

During a joint press conference at the White House between Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and US President Donald Trump, an Italian journalist asked Trump if he had ever called the European “parasite”.
After the journalist requested to switch the languages, the question was asked in Italian. Meloni stepped quickly and replied, “No, he never said so.”
Then he turned to Trump and asked him, “Have you ever said that Europeans are parasites? Have you said that?” Trump denied the claim and said, “I never said that. I don’t know what you are talking about.”
A March 2025 article at the Atlantic cited the leaked signal messages of the Trump administration officials, who described Europeans as parasites in the context of discussion around air strikes in Yemen.
The strange exchange leaders’ meeting in the press meat did not get from the tracks, focused on trade and diplomacy. Trump, who recently imposed 20 percent tariffs on the export of the European Union, stated that a deal “100 percent” was possible with the European Union. Meloni echoed that confidence and said that he is sure that he can find common land. He invited Trump to visit Rome and possibly met other European Union leaders.
Meloni’s visit marked him as the first European leader to meet Trump since the tariff announcement. He used the opportunity to underline immigration, defense spending and his shared stance on cultural issues. “The goal for me is to make the West the great again,” he said, reflecting Trump’s Maga’s slogan.
“Even if we have some problems between the two coasts of the Atlantic, it’s time that we try to sit and find solutions,” he said.
But whenever Trump convinced the 27-Nation European Union of reaching a deal, which he accused of trying to take the “profit” of the United States, he said he was “no crowd”. He said, “Everyone wants to make a deal – and if they do not, we will move forward and deal with them,” he said.
Some European Union members expressed concern about the direct connection of Meloni with Trump, fearing that it could reduce the unity of the European Union. The French Industries Minister warned that individual deals “can break the current dynamic”, reported the Associated Press.
Meloni returns to Rome on Friday and is ready to host US Vice President JD Vance. Trump’s threats to tariffs remain an important issue, especially to Italy, which sends about 10 percent of its exports to the US.