President Trump took a solid swipe at Spain during the NATO summit on Wednesday, calling the longtime U.S. ally a “wasted cause” and declaring he wants to cut off all trade with the country.
The President's ire was particularly raised by Spain's refusal to meet the alliance’s new 5% defense spending target. It’s the latest sign that he’s done playing nice with NATO partners he believes aren’t pulling their weight. Spain certainly isn't alone in this regard, but they were surely the focus of Trump's comments today.
“Spain is a wasted cause. We don’t want to do any trade business with Spain anymore,” he announced. "Spain is a terrible partner in NATO. They don't participate, they don't pay."
"I don't want anything to do with Spain. Cut off all trade with Spain, please, including visits."
It's not exactly clear what Trump meant by "visits."
.@POTUS: "Spain is a wasted cause. We don't want to do any trade business with Spain anymore by the way... Spain is a terrible partner in NATO. They don't participate, they don't pay. I don't want anything to do with Spain." pic.twitter.com/3prqux6p54
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 8, 2026
READ MORE: Rubio Delivers Blunt Message to NATO Allies - They Need to Listen
Report: The Plan Being Considered to Punish Those Feckless NATO Allies
President Trump suggested the European nation might reconsider its actions should he cut off all trade with it.
"Watch them come running back, all they'll come running back," he said.
Trump later added, "I don't want to do any more trade with him. All right? Take it immediately. Don't even talk to them. They're hopeless, bad people."
"They're hostile about it, and let's see how hostile they remain when they call up and they — 'Please, please, we want to trade with you, sir,'" Trump continued. "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."
It will be interesting to see if this amounts to any official policy change regarding NATO or Spain, or if the President is simply venting. He has threatened to slam the door on trade with Spain before.
NOW - Germany's Merz supports U.S. embargoing Spain, claims it's to "convince" them to increase NATO spending. pic.twitter.com/YdVEi4ucsF
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) March 3, 2026
Spain has been the only NATO member to publicly push back against the alliance’s new 5% defense spending target, instead seeking flexibility on how it meets capability goals rather than committing to the full increase. Their longstanding low military investment—currently well below even the old 2% benchmark—leaves the United States shouldering a disproportionate share of the alliance’s security burden.
The longtime ally also drew sharp criticism from the Trump administration after it refused to allow the U.S. to use its strategically located bases to launch strikes against Iran for Operation Epic Fury. They also did little in trying to help with a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
President Trump is right. Enough is enough. For years, American taxpayers have subsidized Europe’s security while countries like Spain shortchange defense, all while lecturing us on foreign policy.
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