"Wasted cause": Trump lashes out at Spain over NATO spending, says wouldn't be doing trade "anymore"
Ankara, July 8
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday lashed out at the Spanish government over its defence spending within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, calling the country a "wasted cause" and saying that the United States would not be doing trade business with it "anymore".
Speaking to reporters during his meeting with NATO General Secretary Mark Rutte on the sidelines of the 2026 NATO Summit in Ankara, Trump criticised Spain's role in the alliance, calling it a "terrible partner" and stating that he doesn't want to do anything with Spain.
"Spain is a wasted cause. We don't want to do any trade business with Spain anymore, by the way," Trump said.
"Spain is a terrible partner in NATO. They don't participate, they don't pay. I don't want anything to do with Spain," he added.
Spain remains the only NATO member to refuse to commit to the alliance's new defence spending target, which was announced last year at the 2025 Summit in The Hague, where the allies committed to a spending target of 5 per cent of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2035.
Madrid secured an exemption allowing it to cap military spending at 2.1 per cent of its GDP instead of adopting the 5 per cent target. Spain is also among the alliance's lowest defence spenders as a share of GDP.
The comments mark the latest in Trump's repeated criticism of European allies over what he describes as insufficient contributions to collective defence.
Throughout his presidency, Trump has urged NATO members to increase military spending and has frequently accused several allies of relying disproportionately on the United States for security.
Trump has also repeatedly targeted Spain in recent months, particularly over differences in foreign policy.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez was among the few European leaders to publicly criticise the US military action against Iran, and his government's earlier decision to bar the use of US military facilities in southern Spain in support of the Iran strikes further strained ties with Washington.
Continuing his criticism, Trump further stated that the Spanish government were "hopeless" and "bad people" and he wants "no business" with them.
"Don't even talk to them. They're hopeless, 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," Trump stated.
— ANI
Reader Comments
While Trump's language is unnecessarily harsh, I think many countries secretly agree that some NATO members are freeloading. Spain wants the security umbrella but won't pay their share. As an Indian, I can understand—we contribute heavily to UN peacekeeping and expect others to do their part too. But calling them 'bad people' is too much, sirji. 😅
Trump is wild for this one. "I want no business with them"? Does he even understand international trade? Spain is a major EU economy—cutting ties would hurt everyone. But I guess that's his style: burn bridges and call it strength. India should learn from this: alliances need mutual respect, not threats.
This is so typical of Trump—no diplomacy, just shouting. But let's be real, Spain got a special exemption and still isn't meeting even that? That's not fair to other members. India knows about defense commitments: we have to defend our borders daily. Maybe Spain should visit LOC once to understand sacrifice. 🇮🇳
Trump's language is crass, but he's not entirely wrong. NATO nations agreed to spend more, and Spain got a sweetheart deal. However, threatening to cut all trade? That's excessive. India has learned that strong defense requires domestic industry (hello, Make in India!). Maybe Spain needs its own Atmanirbhar Bharat moment. 😉
From an Indian perspective, this is fascinating. We've always valued strategic autonomy and not being pushed around. But Trump is basically bullying an ally. That's not how you build
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