President Says 'I'm the Boss' Remark at G7 Was a Joke

The president told Axios the comment was meant in jest. In an interview released on Friday, the president described the exchange as him "just being funny" and "being cute." The president's comment drew attention during the summit in France, where leaders of the world's major Western economies gathered to discuss global security and economic coordination.

Recalling the incident, the president described a formal setting and insisted the comment was not a literal assertion of authority. "I was just being funny," the president told Axios' Marc Caputo in an interview that was filmed on Thursday. " The president elaborated on the seating arrangement that prompted the remark.

"What happened is, they're all sitting, and then I walked into the room, and it was just sort of funny because there was a very long table but there's only seven of them. The table was meant for, like, 30 people," the president said. " He added, "This thing got carried all over the world, I can't believe it.

I was just being cute, funny. The event was also overshadowed by a dispute between the president and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. On Friday, Italy's foreign minister canceled a planned visit to the United States following comments from the president alleging that Meloni had "begged" him for a photograph during the summit.

"She wanted a picture with me so badly," the president told Italy's La7 broadcaster last week. " Meloni swiftly responded to the president's claims on social media, saying she was "stunned" and that his account was made up. "Neither I nor Italy ever beg," she added.

During a phone interview with NBC News, the president doubled down on his claim that Meloni begged for the picture. "That's true," the president said. " "She was a big fan but I don't want her as a fan because she was not there — along with the NATO group — having to do with the strait," the president added, referring to the Strait of Hormuz, the vital waterway that Iran effectively closed after Israel and the U.S. launched attacks earlier this year.