President Donald Trump sharply criticized Spain during remarks at the NATO summit on Wednesday, calling for the United States to end all trade with the European nation over what he described as its failure to contribute adequately to the military alliance.
Speaking alongside NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte at the summit in Ankara, Turkey, Trump accused Spain of falling short of its defense obligations and suggested the U.S. should sever its economic ties with the country.
“Spain is a wasted cause. We don’t want to do any trade business with Spain anymore by the way,” Trump said.
The president doubled down on his criticism, arguing that Spain has failed to meet its commitments to NATO.
“Spain is a terrible partner in NATO. They don’t participate. They don’t pay,” Trump said. “I don’t want anything to do with Spain. Cut off all trade with Spain, please, including visits.”
Trump predicted that economic pressure would force Spain to reconsider its position.
“Watch them come running back. Oh they’ll come running back,” he added.
The president also suggested Spain has taken advantage of the alliance's collective defense structure, saying the country assumes other NATO members will continue protecting it regardless of its level of participation.
“I mean, you sort automatically carry [Spain] because you’re protecting an area,” Trump told Rutte. “So they probably figured ‘they have to protect us, right?’”
According to Reuters, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's office dismissed Trump's remarks as "business as usual" and indicated the government has no plans to alter what it described as Spain's "excellent" trade relationship with the United States.
Trump has consistently pushed NATO member nations to increase defense spending, arguing that allies should shoulder a greater share of the alliance's security burden. He has advocated for members to spend 5 percent of their gross domestic product on defense, although NATO has agreed to a target of 3.5 percent by 2035.
Only five of NATO's 32 member countries are projected to meet that benchmark this year.
The president has also criticized several NATO allies over their level of support for the United States during the conflict with Iran. Spain has been among the most outspoken critics of the Trump administration's approach and has declined to allow U.S. forces to jointly use military bases in Spain for operations related to the Iran war.
Trump has repeatedly singled out Spain in recent months over both defense spending and the country's broader economic performance.
