The Spanish government reported on Thursday that President Donald Trump has softened his tone towards Spain, just hours after he threatened to terminate trade relations, according to Reuters. The shift in Trump’s rhetoric appears to stem from his recognition of Spain’s increased contributions to NATO in recent years.
During a NATO summit in Ankara on Wednesday, Trump labeled Spain as “an awful partner” and called for an immediate halt to trade with the Iberian nation amid disputes over military spending levels and the ongoing conflict in Iran.
“Spaniards Have Made Progress”
However, while returning to the U.S. after the summit, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he had “some issues (with Spain) and still do.”
“But today the Spaniards have made progress. Spain was very generous today,” he added. When asked what Spain had done, Trump explained, “They honored our request for numerous payments, and if they hadn’t done that, we wouldn’t even be discussing with them.”
A spokesperson for Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez indicated that Trump was referring to Madrid’s commitment to meet NATO’s previous defense spending target of 2% of GDP.
At the summit, Sanchez highlighted that Spain plans to reach this goal by 2026, doubling its defense expenditures from 0.98% of GDP in 2017 to nearly $33 billion.
The Spanish Prime Minister downplayed the existence of a dispute, asserting that he had a “very cordial” conversation with Trump during the summit.
Trump’s Frustration at the NATO Summit
Trump has repeatedly expressed his frustration with Spain, which has not agreed to NATO’s new defense spending target of 5% of GDP, and whose socialist government has denied the United States the use of its airspace and bases for operations against Iran.
Speaking alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the start of the Ankara summit, Trump stated that he no longer wants any business relationship with Spain.
“Spain doesn’t agree with anything, and you shouldn’t support them,” Trump told Rutte. “I don’t want to do any trade with them, okay?” he asserted, turning to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who replied, “Yes, sir.”
“Stop everything immediately. Don’t even talk to them. They are hopeless. They are bad people,” Trump added. “They make so much money from trade with us, and we will ensure they make a lot less. I don’t want to have any business relationships with them,” he emphasized.
The United States has two significant military bases in Spain: Naval Base Rota and Morón Air Base.
