Donald Trump starred this Wednesday in one of his harshest attacks against Spain during the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, labeling the country as a “lost cause” and verbally directing his Secretary of the Treasury to immediately cut all bilateral trade exchanges.
The statements were made during a meeting with the Secretary General of the Alliance, Mark Rutte, before the start of the main session of the summit, with the press present in the room.
“I did not talk to Spain, Spain is a lost cause. I do not want to do any more business with Spain ever again, I would like to cut ties. 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,” declared the U.S. president.
Addressing Scott Bessent, the Secretary of the Treasury, Trump was even more explicit: "Cut all global trade with Spain, including visits; we don’t want to have anything to do with it."
And he added: “Don’t even talk to them, they’re beyond help. They are bad people.”
The leader also predicted that Spain will eventually give in: "We'll see them come 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 once again criticized Madrid for its stance on the United States and Israel's war against Iran: "Spain has done very poorly. They have not helped us, even though we did not need 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 is customary, he made it known through 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 labeled as "illegal."
This is compounded by Spain's resistance to raising defense spending to the 5% of GDP demanded by Trump, despite Spain reaching 2% of GDP by 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 totaling approximately 16 billion.
Furthermore, Spain imports between 40% and 44% of its liquefied gas from the United States, making any disruption particularly sensitive.
Sánchez's version: "It's all been kind words and kindness."
The contrast between Trump's toughness and the account from the Spanish president was notable. In his press conference from Ankara, Sánchez revealed that he had an informal conversation with Trump - which took place after the U.S. president had already publicly criticized Spain - during which he did not sense any tension at all.
“We talked about football, the World Cup in the United States. It has been an informal, colloquial conversation. There has been absolutely no tension at all. On the contrary, it has been all good words and kindness,” he declared.
Sánchez stated that the Government faces Trump's statements "calmly and patiently" and within "a certain normality", arguing that bilateral relations are "very positive in social, cultural, economic, and also political aspects."
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, since foreign trade is a matter of community competence, and any retaliation would have to confront the entire group of Twenty-Seven, not just Madrid.
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