NATO Summit: Trump Criticizes Spain
During the NATO Summit held in Ankara, Turkey, President Donald Trump called Spain a “futile cause” and urged an end to trade with the country. This statement was made alongside NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte on July 8, 2026.
“Spain is a wasted cause, and by the way, we don’t want to do any more trade deals with Spain,” Trump stated. He emphasized, “Spain is a terrible partner for NATO. They won’t participate, they won’t pay. They want nothing to do with Spain. Cut off all trade with Spain, including visits.”
“Look at them running back. Oh, they’re going to run back,” he added.
Trump also remarked that the United States had treated Mr. Rutte “horribly” and suggested that NATO should stop supporting Spain. He appeared to direct his comments towards Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, saying, “I wish you would stop even talking to them. They are hopeless. They’re bad people… They’re making so much money from us, but we’re going to see them earn so much less.”
In response, Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s office dismissed Trump’s remarks, labeling them as “business as usual” and asserting that the trade relationship with the U.S. would remain “good.”
Trump has a history of criticizing NATO member nations for not contributing enough to their defense budgets. He previously set a goal for countries to spend 5% of their GDP on defense, while NATO as a whole agreed to aim for 3.5% by 2035—though many doubt this target will be met.
Last year, NATO allies pledged to more than double their defense spending, but Spain was the only country that opted out, which Trump referred to as “terrible.” By 2025, Spain is expected to allocate 2.1% of its GDP to defense, increasing from 1.4% in 2021, based on data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
Earlier in April, Trump shared on Truth Social, “Has anyone looked into how bad the situation is in Spain? Despite contributing almost nothing to NATO and military defense, their financial numbers are absolutely terrible. Sad to see!!!”
