U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he had ordered Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to cut off all trade with Spain, escalating tensions with one of Washington’s NATO allies during the alliance’s summit in Ankara.
Speaking alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the start of the meeting, Trump described Spain as a “terrible partner” and said he no longer wanted the United States to conduct business with the country.
“I don’t want to do any trade with them, alright?” Trump said, turning to Bessent, who replied: “Yes, sir.”
“Take it immediately. Don’t even talk to them. They’re hopeless. They’re bad people,” the president added. “They make so much money with us, and we’re going to see that they make a lot less. I want no business with them.”
Defense spending at the heart of dispute
Trump has repeatedly criticized Spain for refusing to back NATO’s new defense spending target of 5% of gross domestic product.
He also expressed frustration over the Spanish government’s decision not to allow the United States to use its airspace or military bases on Spanish territory during the Iran war.
Addressing Rutte, Trump said: “Spain doesn’t agree to anything, and you shouldn’t carry them.”
Military ties remain significant
Despite the latest dispute, the United States maintains two key military installations in Spain: Naval Station Rota and Morón Air Base.
The comments also follow an internal Pentagon email, reported by Reuters in April, outlining possible measures against NATO allies that Washington believed had failed to support U.S. operations during the conflict with Iran. According to a U.S. official, one of the options under consideration included suspending Spain from the alliance
