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La7 broadcast the original audio of the phone call between US President Donald Trump and the station’s Washington correspondent, Daniele Compatangelo, in which the tycoon speaks in contemptuous terms about Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Europe. The recording, broadcast on the 23 June episode of «L’Aria che tira», was released – explains the program – after the green light from the White House.
The phone call, word for word
This is the transcript of the conversation, in the translation released by La7.
Trump: «Hello».
Compatangelo: «Hello, Mr. President. Good evening, I’m Daniele Compatangelo, White House correspondent for the Italian broadcaster La7.”
Trump: «Where does he come from?».
Compatangelo: «From Italy. I am the White House correspondent for La7 TV.”
Trump: «Tell me».
Compatangelo: «I have two questions about Ukraine and Hezbollah, if you may. If Ukraine continues to show interest in future EU membership, could this complicate its efforts to reach an agreement with President Putin?
Trump: «I’m not involved. We just want peace. How is your president? How is she?”.
Compatangelo: «Well, he just met her at the G7. What do you think?”.
Trump: «What did he say when he met me?».
Compatangelo: «Obviously she is very happy and proud to have a friend like her».
Trump: «She’s probably happy I talked to her! I didn’t have to talk to her! He wanted a photo with me at all costs.”
Compatangelo: «What do you think?».
Trump: «I don’t know what to say! He begged me to take a photo! I wouldn’t have done it, but I felt sorry for her.”
Compatangelo: «What did you suggest you and your European allies do in Ukraine? With all your experience, you have already resolved eight conflicts, what did you suggest to them?”.
Trump: «Europeans are terrible when it comes to energy and immigration, and if they don’t solve these problems, Europe will never be the same again. They probably won’t even succeed. Immigration is a disaster, and energy, with all these wind turbines that are useless, is another disaster. I have to go”.
Compatangelo: «Thank you very much Mr. President».
The diplomatic case and Rome’s response
The audio – so far released only in the transcript, according to White House rules – comes after days of tension on the Rome-Washington axis, born precisely from that conversation released in the aftermath of the recent G7 in Evian. The host David Parenzo underlined that the recording confirms the reconstruction of the broadcaster and that “the interview starts with a completely different purpose”, that is, the international dossiers. The prime minister’s response was harsh, saying she was “astonished” and reiterated that “Italy does not beg”. After the back and forth, Palazzo Chigi then decided not to fuel the conflict further.