President Donald Trump sharply criticized Spain during the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, on July 8, 2026, calling for the United States to cut off all trade and visits with the European country. Trump accused Spain of failing to contribute adequately to defense spending and described the nation as a "wasted cause."

"We don’t want to do any trade business with Spain anymore by the way," Trump said while seated alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. "They don’t pay. I don’t want anything to do with Spain. Cut off all trade with Spain, please, including visits."

Trump also accused Madrid of treating Rutte "terribly," telling the NATO chief he "shouldn’t carry" Spain. He suggested that Spain relies on NATO protection without fulfilling its obligations, stating, "I mean, you sort automatically carry [Spain] because you’re protecting an area. So they [Spain] probably figured ‘they have to protect us, right?’"

The president has repeatedly pressured NATO members to meet a defense spending target of 5 percent of their gross domestic product (GDP), a goal only five of NATO's 32 members are expected to achieve this year. In an April post on Truth Social, Trump criticized Spain's financial situation and contributions to NATO, saying, "Their financial numbers, despite contributing almost nothing to NATO and their military defense, are absolutely horrendous."

In response, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s office told Reuters that it was treating Trump's comments as "business as usual" and did not intend to alter Spain's "excellent" trade relations with the U.S.

Sources