At the opening of a NATO summit held in Ankara, President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he has instructed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to completely cut off all trade between the United States and Spain, labeling the country a “terrible partner” within the alliance.
Standing next to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte as the summit got underway, Trump made clear he wants no further business dealings with Spain whatsoever.
Trump has long voiced frustration with Spain, which has declined to commit to NATO’s new defense spending benchmark of 5% of GDP. Adding to the tension, Spain’s Socialist-led government refused to allow the U.S. to use Spanish airspace or military bases during the Iran war.
“Spain doesn’t agree to anything, and you shouldn’t carry them,” Trump told Rutte directly.
Turning his attention to Bessent, Trump said, “I don’t want to do any trade with them, alright?” — to which Bessent responded simply, “Yes, sir.”
Trump continued: “Take it immediately. Don’t even talk to them. They’re hopeless. They’re bad people. 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.”
The stakes are significant. The United States currently operates two major military installations in Spain — Naval Station Rota and Moron Air Base.
The announcement comes months after a Pentagon internal email, revealed by a U.S. official to Reuters in April, outlined possible measures to penalize NATO allies believed to have withheld support during U.S. operations in the Iran war. Among the options listed was suspending Spain from the alliance altogether.
