Former President Donald Trump demanded Wednesday that the United States cease all trade with Spain and cancel any upcoming visits, citing the nation's performance on NATO defense spending and its refusal to grant access for operations related to Iran.
"Spain is a wasted cause," Trump stated during the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey. "We don't want to do any trade business with Spain anymore. 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, including visits."
Trump made these remarks while seated next to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. He expressed frustration that Spain had not met defense spending obligations, with the country being the only one among NATO's 32 partners not to spend five percent of its GDP on defense. Trump had previously called for a halt to trade with Spain in March, though it has continued.
"Don't even talk to them, they're hopeless, bad people, because they have everybody else going and paying," Trump said, according to reports. "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."
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was present when Trump issued these directives, appearing to give direct orders to halt trade with Spain. Trump also specifically requested that any "visits" to Spain be canceled, though the status of any existing travel plans for U.S. officials was not specified.
Rutte acknowledged that Spain had made progress by increasing its defense spending to 2 percent of GDP but conceded that "there are still issues we have to solve."
Trump's threats to cut off trade could face hurdles due to European Union regulations, which mandate that trade negotiations be conducted by the bloc as a whole.
The former president's frustration with Spain has been evident for months, particularly after the nation denied the U.S. access to its military bases and airspace for use in operations concerning Iran.
The office of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez responded to Trump's statements, asserting that Spain maintains an "excellent" trade partnership with the U.S. and is treating Trump's remarks as "business as usual."
Spain and the United States engaged in approximately $75 billion worth of goods and services trade in 2025. The U.S. held a trade surplus of about $4 billion that year, exporting more to Spain than it imported.
