US President Donald Trump on Wednesday expressed his desire to halt trade with Spain over disagreements regarding defense spending, reigniting a long-standing dispute between Washington and Madrid.
“I haven’t spoken to Spain. Spain is a waste of time. We don’t want to do any trade with Spain anymore,” he told journalists on the eve of a meeting with other NATO leaders in Ankara. “By the way, I’d like you to stop it,” Trump added, seemingly addressing US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
History of the dispute and defense spending
Trump’s dispute with Spain dates back to last year’s NATO summit. Madrid was the only ally to refuse to support NATO’s new 2035 target of spending 5% of GDP on defense, which caused significant discontent in Washington. The US president has repeatedly threatened to respond with tariffs.
However, it remains unclear how Trump plans to implement this idea, as Spain is a member of the EU, which oversees the trade policy of all member countries. Additionally, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez criticized Trump’s decision to engage in military action against Iran and refused to allow the US to use military bases in Spain for this campaign, further deepening the dispute between the two countries.
“Spain is a terrible NATO partner. They don’t participate, they don’t pay. I don’t want to have anything to do with Spain. Please stop all trade with Spain, including any trips to Spain,” Trump said. “Let’s see how hostile they remain when they call and say: ‘Please, please, we want to trade with you, sir.'”
Source: Politico
