Donald Trump starred in one of his harshest attacks against Spain this Wednesday during the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, labeling the country as a "lost cause," and verbally instructing his Treasury Secretary to immediately cut all bilateral trade relations.
The statements were made during a meeting with the Secretary General of the Alliance, Mark Rutte, before the main session of the summit began, with the media present in the room.
“I do not speak with Spain, Spain is a lost cause. I never want to do any more business with Spain, I would like to cut it off. Spain is a terrible ally in NATO. They do not participate, they do not pay, I do not want to have anything to do with Spain,” stated the U.S. President.
Addressing Scott Bessent, the Secretary of the Treasury, Trump was even more explicit: "Cut off all global trade with Spain, including visits, we want nothing to do with it."
And he added: “Don’t even talk to them, they are beyond help. They are bad people.”
The leader also predicted that Spain will eventually yield: "We'll see them coming back running, they'll come back running."
And he concluded: “We’ll see how long their hostility lasts when they call saying, 'Please, we want to trade with you, sir.'”
Hours later, at the final press conference of the day, Trump again criticized Madrid for its stance on the United States and Israel's war against Iran:
"Spain has done very poorly. They haven't helped us, even though we haven't needed them. That goes against the spirit of Churchill."
It is worth noting that Trump did not formalize any written order nor did his administration issue any official announcement; as usual, he mentioned it in statements to the media.
The origin of the crisis
The trigger for this escalation is the refusal of the Government of Pedro Sánchez to authorize the use of the military bases in Rota and Morón for Operation Epic Fury, the offensive launched by the United States and Israel against Iran on February 28, 2026, which Spain deemed "illegal."
This is complemented by Spain's resistance to raising defense spending to the 5% of GDP demanded by Trump, despite Spain reaching 2% of GDP in 2025.
Trump had already threatened to cut trade with Spain in March and even suggested in October 2025 to expel the country from the Atlantic Alliance.
The bilateral trade amounts to about 46 billion dollars annually, with Spanish exports around 16 billion.
Additionally, Spain imports between 40% and 44% of its liquefied gas from the United States, which makes any disruption particularly sensitive.
Sánchez's version: "It has all been nice words and kindness."
The contrast between Trump's toughness and the narrative from the Spanish president was striking.
In his press conference from Ankara, Sánchez revealed that he had an informal conversation with Trump -which took place after the American had already publicly criticized Spain- in which he sensed no tension whatsoever.
“We talked about soccer, about the World Cup in the United States. It has been an informal, colloquial conversation. There has absolutely been no tension at all. On the contrary, everything has been kind words and friendliness,” declared the Spanish president.
Sánchez stated that the Government faces Trump's statements "with calm and patience" and within "a certain normality," arguing that bilateral relations are "very positive in social, cultural, economic, and also political terms."
Despite appearing together in the official summit photo, there was no public interaction between the two leaders.
The European response
The European Commission urged Washington to honor its trade commitments with the bloc, warning that it will ensure that the interests of the EU and all its member states "are fully protected."
This position from Brussels serves as Spain's main shield against Trump's threats, given that foreign trade falls under community jurisdiction and any retaliation would have to face the entirety of the Twenty-Seven, not just Madrid.
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