Daniele Compatangelo, a journalist for La7 and correspondent in Washington, has died suddenly at the age of 50 following a sudden illness. The news was confirmed by his mother to the ANSA news agency. According to the Adnkronos agency, the death was likely linked to cardiac problems. La7 director Andrea Salerno stated: «We are stunned. All of La7 stands with his loved ones. Daniele was a precious and rare collaborator. For his drive to always tell stories with precision and cheerfulness. He was a good journalist. He will be missed». Born in Savona in 1975 and raised in Turin, where he earned a law degree from the University of Turin, Compatangelo had also lived in Rome before moving permanently to the United States. He had over twenty-five years of professional experience, during which he collaborated with several news outlets including Sky and Il Secolo XIX, and also handled press office roles. A passionate sports enthusiast, he covered eight editions of the Olympic Games as a correspondent, from Sydney 2000 to London 2012. In June 2011, his investigative documentary «The Los Angeles Breakdown» received an Honorable Mention at the 53rd Southern California Journalism Awards in Los Angeles. His reports were broadcast by Rai, Mediaset, and RSI, the Swiss public broadcaster in Italian. At the time of his death, he served as president of the White House Foreign Correspondents' Association (WHFCA), the association representing foreign correspondents who cover U.S. government politics and the White House. Compatangelo had recently drawn public attention for a phone interview with U.S. President Donald Trump, broadcast on the program «L'aria che tira». During the conversation, which took place following the G7 summit in Evian, Trump made critical remarks about Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, claiming she had begged him for a photo together: «She begged me to take a picture with her. She wanted a photo with me so badly. I wouldn't even have done it, but I felt sorry for her». The statements generated a heated political and diplomatic debate between Rome and Washington.