President Donald Trump on Wednesday called for the United States to end all trade with Spain, escalating his criticism of the NATO ally over its refusal to commit to the alliance's target of spending 5% of gross domestic product on defense by 2035.
"Spain is a terrible partner in NATO. They don't participate. They don't pay. I don't want anything to do with Spain. Cut off all trade with Spain, please, including visits," Trump said during a joint news conference with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Ankara, Turkey.
Trump also described Spain as "hopeless" and "bad people," singling it out as the alliance member most resistant to increasing military spending. Spain remains the only NATO country that has not agreed to the 5% target adopted by allies last year.
.@POTUS: "Spain is a wasted cause. We don't want to do any trade business with Spain anymore by the way... Spain is a terrible partner in NATO. They don't participate, they don't pay. I don't want anything to do with Spain." pic.twitter.com/3prqux6p54
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 8, 2026
The comments mark the latest escalation in Trump's dispute with Madrid over defense spending. At last year's NATO summit, Trump warned Spain could face "terrible tariffs" if it refused to increase military expenditures, though those measures were never implemented.
Rutte offered a limited defense of Spain during the news conference, telling Trump that "You got Spain to pay 2%. They spent, they made a huge step in last year," while acknowledging that "there are still issues we have to solve."
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Spain increased defense spending from 1.4% of GDP in 2021 to 2.1% in 2025, but it remains below NATO's new target.
Spain's government, however, downplayed Trump's remarks. Agriculture Minister Luis Planas said bilateral relations between Spain and the United States remained "excellent" and urged that the president's comments be taken "with absolute normality and calm, despite who they come from."
Planas argued that any disruption in trade would ultimately hurt the United States because it currently maintains a trade surplus with Spain. He added that commercial policy is negotiated between Washington and the European Union rather than individual member states, making unilateral action against Spain difficult.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez also sought to downplay the dispute later on Wednesday, saying he had a cordial conversation with Trump at the summit despite the president's public criticism.
Sánchez said the two briefly discussed football and golf and exchanged "good words and kindness," adding that Spain had fulfilled its commitments to NATO and remained committed to the alliance. He also reiterated that trade policy is negotiated by the European Union as a whole, not by individual member states, making unilateral action against Spain difficult.
