GOP strategist flabbergasted by Trump's 'odd' insult to his European 'poster child'

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni wasted no time swiping back at President Donald Trump on Friday after he said that she "begged' him to take a photograph together, a spat that left one GOP strategist completely flabbergasted.

Brad Todd, a veteran GOP operative, discussed Meloni's sharp rebuke of Trump during a segment on CNN's "The Arena." Meloni released a video statement in which she said Trump's comments were "completely made up." She also canceled an upcoming trip to meet Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Miami, Florida.

"I am frankly astonished," Meloni said. "I don't know why ⁠the President of the United States behaves like this towards his allies. It is not the first time, moreover."

Meloni's response earned her cheers across the globe.

Todd reacted to the back-and-forth during the CNN segment.

"I'm equally flabbergasted by this because Giorgia Meloni is Donald Trump's best ally in Western Europe," Todd said. "And furthermore, they share many of the same populist viewpoints and perspectives. And so, to the extent he's always said he wishes Europe would conform more to his view of how things should operate, she's the poster child for that. She's exactly the person for it. So it is odd to me."

"But partnership does not always come easy to President Trump. And in order to continue to have that relationship with her, it would require being an equal partner, much like he has to be an equal partner with John Thune. And that's just not his favorite paradigm," he added.