Daniele Compatangelo, the Washington correspondent for Italian television network La7, has died suddenly at the age of 50 after suffering a medical emergency. Compatangelo had recently attracted widespread attention for securing a telephone interview with Donald Trump in which the US president sharply criticised Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, triggering a political controversy. Over a journalism career spanning 25 years, he worked with several leading Italian news organisations and also headed major press offices. He covered eight Olympic Games, from Sydney 2000 to London 2012. In June 2011, his investigative documentary The Los Angeles Breakdown received an Honourable Mention at the 53rd Southern California Journalism Awards in Los Angeles. At the time of his death, Compatangelo was serving as president of the White House Foreign Correspondents' Association (WHFCA), which represents journalists covering the US federal government and the White House.