President Donald Trump threatened to cut off trade with Spain on Wednesday, calling the NATO ally “hopeless” and “hostile” during a broad attack on countries he says failed to support the U.S. against Iran.
Speaking at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, Trump criticized allies he said refused to help the U.S. confront Iran before turning his attention to Spain.
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What Trump said
Trump first told reporters, “I didn’t speak to Spain. Spain is a wasted cause. We don’t want to do any trade business with Spain anymore.”
He then appeared to address Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent directly, saying, “By the way, I’d like you to cut it off.”
.@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
Trump went on to call Spain a “terrible partner” in NATO, accusing the country of failing to contribute enough to the alliance before repeating his call to end trade.
“I don’t want anything to do with Spain, cut off all trade with Spain please,” he said.
Why Spain?
Trump’s dispute with Spain dates back to last year’s NATO summit, when Madrid refused to back his push for alliance members to spend 5% of GDP on defense by 2035, Politico reported.
Politico also noted that carrying out Trump’s proposal would be complicated because Spain is part of the European Union, which negotiates trade policy for all member nations.
Spain reaction
Spain’s government downplayed Trump’s comments, saying relations with the United States remain “business as usual” and that it has no intention of changing them, Reuters reported.
The statement also indicates that Spain currently has a trade deficit with the United States and that many economic partnerships involve private companies and not the two governments.
Trump llama a España “socio terrible” porque no acepta chantajes ni amenazas. Porque somos un país soberano, democrático, que defiende el multilateralismo y la paz. Terrible es confundir la diplomacia con el matonismo.
— Mónica García (@Monica_Garcia_G) July 8, 2026
Spain’s Health Minister Monica Garcia was more direct, writing on X that Spain would not accept “blackmail nor threats” and accusing Trump of confusing “diplomacy with thuggery.”
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