Trump Targets Spain Over NATO Rift

President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened to end trade and tourism with Spain, criticizing the country over its defense spending and its stance on U.S. military operations during the conflict with Iran.

Speaking alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte before meetings at the alliance’s annual summit, Trump accused Spain of failing to meet its commitments within NATO.

“Spain is a terrible partner in NATO. They don’t participate, they don’t pay,” Trump said. He added that he wanted the United States to stop doing business with Spain, including limiting travel between the two countries.

“We don’t have to trade with them. I don’t want to do any more trade with them,” Trump said, suggesting Spain would eventually seek to restore economic ties with the United States.

Trump made the remarks before a series of meetings with NATO leaders, including Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who had attended a summit dinner with other leaders the previous evening in Türkiye.

The Spanish government sought to downplay the comments, saying it had received Trump’s remarks “with calm and normality,” according to Spanish media.

As of Wednesday, the White House and the U.S. Treasury Department had not announced any formal measures targeting Spain. It also remained unclear what legal authority the administration could use to restrict trade or tourism.

While the president has authority to impose certain tariffs, that power has been limited by recent court rulings, and any broad measures directed specifically at Spain would likely face legal challenges. Restrictions on tourism would be even more unusual, given that nearly 4.5 million Americans visited Spain last year. At present, North Korea remains the only country broadly subject to a U.S. government ban on travel by American citizens.