President Donald Trump threatened to cut trade with Spain on Tuesday after the country did not give U.S. troops access to its military bases as the U.S. and Israel trade blows with Iran in the Middle East.
Trump said he told Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to “cut off all dealings with Spain,” claiming the country is not allowing the use of its military bases but that the U.S. could still “use their base if we want.”
The president added, “Nobody’s going to tell us not to use it,” adding, “I could tomorrow stop, or today… stop everything having to do with Spain” before he floated embargoes against the NATO ally.
Trump made the comment during a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who said NATO is “trying to convince Spain” to increase its defense spending after members of the military alliance agreed last year to commit to a new spending goal of allocating 3.5% of gross domestic product annually for defense spending by 2035.
Spain rejected the NATO defense expenditure before it was ultimately approved, with Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, saying it would “not only be unreasonable but also counterproductive.”
Trump said Spain does not have “great leadership,” noting the country’s resistance to increased defense spending and saying, “We’re going to cut off all trade with Spain, we don’t want anything to do with Spain.”
U.S. aircraft departed Spanish military bases Monday after officials said the installations could not be used for strikes against Iran, according to multiple reports.
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