President Donald Trump threatened on Wednesday to end U.S. trade with Spain, sharply criticizing the NATO ally for refusing to commit to the alliance’s new defense spending target during a summit in Ankara, Turkey.
Trump Threatens Trade Break With Spain "Spain is a wasted cause," Trump said, according to Reuters.
"We don’t want to do any trade business with Spain anymore, by the way." He went further, saying, "Cut off all trade with Spain, please, including visits." The remarks came after NATO leaders backed a new benchmark calling on allies to invest 5% of gross domestic product in defense and defense-related spending.
Spain was the only member to publicly reject the full target, instead seeking flexibility in how it meets NATO capability goals.
Reuters reported that Trump told Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to halt commerce with Spain immediately, though trade continued normally after a similar March threat.
