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Claim: Trump said US and Italy have been allies ‘since the time of ancient Rome’
Posted on December 19 on Facebook (direct link, Archive link) It includes an image showing a woman sitting behind President-elect Donald Trump with a puzzled expression.
The image read: “Trump said that the United States and Italy have been allies since the time of ancient Rome.” “The translator’s reaction is invaluable.”
It was shared more than 1,000 times a week. last Claim versions It spread widely On Facebook And X.
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Our rating: False
Trump said that the two countries have a common cultural and political heritage dating back to ancient Rome, and it is not an alliance. His statements came during a joint press conference with the Italian President, and not during the Oval Office meeting in which the translator who appears in the photo was sitting behind him.
Diplomatic relations between the United States and Italy date back to the 19th century
The photos included in the photo were taken when Trump hosted Italian President Sergio Mattarella at the White House in October 2019.
the The pair held a joint press conferencewhere Trump made a statement about relations between the two countries. But he didn’t say that their alliance goes back thousands of years.
“The United States and Italy are bound together by a shared cultural and political heritage dating back thousands of years to ancient Rome,” Trump said. He said in his opening remarks.
The woman in the photo was not behind him when he made the comments. Rather, Trump’s statements were translated During his meeting in the Oval Office With Mattarella on the same day.
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The United States and Italy first established diplomatic relations in 1861 and re-established the relationship in 1944. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
USA TODAY debunked a host of claims related to Trump, including false assertions that an original photo showed a Trump post telling Elon Musk to “stay in your lane,” that Trump couldn’t travel to Canada because he’s a convicted felon and that Trump picked Hulk Hogan to be Secretary the job.
USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Snopes and FactCheck.org He also debunked this claim.
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