Italian PM sparks debate over her reaction to meeting Trump before his 'disgusting' remark about her appearance

Giorgia Meloni's peculiar response to a series of 'sexist' comments Donald Trump made about her appearance this week have triggered a heated discussion on social media.

The Italian Prime Minister appeared in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt on Monday (13 Oct) along with a number of other world leaders, including the UK's Sir Keir Starmer, and French President Emmanuel Macron.

Along with 26 other politicians, the group gathered to witness Trump signing a ceasefire agreement he proposed between Israel and Palestine last week, in a bid to secure peace in the Middle East.

Abiding by the American's proposition, the former withdrew its military forces from Gaza on Friday (10 Oct) after weaponising famine in the area, after which Hamas terrorists vowed to return the Israeli hostages they'd abducted during the 7 October 2023 attacks.

Despite the admirable intention of Trump's peace plan, the Republican leader soon found himself in hot water with onlookers of the special day.

While making a speech about his achievements, the 79-year-old turned his attention to Meloni, 48 - the sole female among the world leaders overseeing the deal on the future of Gaza.

Despite admitting he might get 'cancelled' for his comments, Trump gushed of his Italian counterpart, who was standing directly behind him: "I'm not allowed to say it because usually it's the end of your political career if you say it.

"She's a beautiful young woman."

The right-wing leader went on to add: "If you use the word 'beautiful' in the United States about a woman, that's the end of your political career, but I'll take my chances. You don't mind being called beautiful, right? Because you are."

Unsurprisingly, Trump's comments didn't go down too well with onlookers, one of whom hit out on X (formerly Twitter): "This is a way of making her small and invisible, and making people laugh while he does it, while seeming like he's giving her a compliment. It's cruddy to the core.

Trump honed in on Meloni during his speech (Suzanne Plunkett - Pool / Getty Images)

"No one introduces a male leader and talks about how handsome they are. It's disgusting."

Another questioned: "Does he start with going on about how handsome he thinks men are in professional capacities? She's dealing with him in a professional capacity, not as a contestant in one of his beauty contests.

"It’s inappropriate to make any comments about her looks. It’s just creepy."

In the minutes before Trump's comments were made, footage showed the American welcoming each and every world leader onto a stage, where a live broadcast showed him vigorously shaking each of their hands.

In one clip that included Meloni, however, the Italian appeared to be subtly rolling her eyes at the President, leading some witnesses to the conclusion that she wasn't too fond of her US counterpart.

"I do love just how much Giorgia Meloni visibly despises Donald Trump," one social media user jibed.

Meloni didn't seem thrilled by Trump's handsy welcome (YOAN VALAT/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Others disagreed, however, believing the clip to be a simple indicator of Meloni's laid back attitude.

"She does that to everyone," another claimed. "Should see how she treats Macron."

One also questioned: "So you’re saying Georgia Meloni went to Israel so she can be pissed off at Donald Trump?"

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