Trump threatens Spain over military spending: "It's terrible, we'll make them pay double."

HagueHead-on collision between the United States and Spain. Pedro Sánchez has been the only leader who has openly opposed to reaching 5% of gross domestic product (GDP) on military spending at the NATO summit in The Hague, and Donald Trump didn't miss the opportunity to unleash his full power on Moncloa Palace. "Spain is terrible," the US president declared. He then threatened the Spanish government, assuring it that, one way or another, he would make it pay the bill. "We will make them pay double," the US president, who controls Spain, reiterated. de facto the Atlantic Alliance.

The New York tycoon then praised Spain for a moment—"it's a fantastic place, its people are great [...] and the Spanish economy is doing very well"—before launching a resounding resounding attack. "Their economy could be shattered if something serious were to happen," he warned. And he asserted that he is "negotiating a trade agreement with Spain so that they end up paying double." "They will have to pay us back in trade, because I am not going to allow this to happen," he added.

Trump also stated that he will negotiate with the Spanish government "personally and bilaterally" regarding their trade relations to put an end to what he described as "unfair." However, the reality is that international trade is the responsibility of the European Union, and, in fact, Brussels and Washington are in the midst of negotiations to end the trade war started by the US president himself. At this point, both powers have agreed to a partial truce in the tariff dispute until July 9 and hope to reach an agreement before that deadline.

Now, of course, the Trump administration could find ways to specifically punish the Spanish economy through trade agreements with the EU, and it wouldn't be the first time it has specifically targeted one of the bloc's member states. In this sense, it could prioritize increasing tariffs on products originating in the state, just as it has previously targeted champagne or French wine. However, when asked by ARA, the European Commission responded that it has "no comment to make" on the White House threats, and even less so while "negotiations are underway."

The Moncloa has not yet responded to the New York magnate, but PP sources do warn Trump that they "do not tolerate threats" and "even less so if he intends to use the state's producers to "take revenge for the lack of solidarity of the Spanish prime minister." The conservative party has also taken advantage of the conflict between the US and Spain to attack Sánchez's coalition partners, calling them "complicit" in the Socialist leader's "lies" in NATO.

A lonely Sánchez

The possibility of Trump attacking Sánchez hovered throughout the summit in The Hague, and only reached the end of the US president's final press conference. Until then, the New York magnate had been surprisingly restrained, limiting himself to describing Spain's position against the 5% military spending limit as a "problem." In fact, hours earlier, the Spanish president had avoided contact with Trump in the moments leading up to the meeting, just in case, and sources from the Moncloa (Spanish government) assure that his intention was in no way to create an "international conflict" between Washington and Madrid. Finally, Trump is even indirectly involved in Brussels, which has jurisdiction over international trade within the EU, and in trade negotiations with the EU.

Although with a completely different tone, as usual, Trump has not been the only NATO leader to publicly criticize the position of the Moncloa, which refuses to reach the 5% military spending threshold despite having signed the agreement like all 32 Atlantic allies. Thus, Sánchez has become the target of criticism from a good part of the Alliance's leaders.

Among others, the also Social Democrat Mette Frederiksen, Prime Minister of Denmark, called the Spanish government's request "unfair"; the Swedish Prime Minister, the conservative Ulf Kristersson, expressed his opposition to "exceptions" within NATO; and the Polish Defense Minister, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, stated that "deviating" from the 5% military spending milestone would set a "bad example." "I hope everyone does their part, because, after all, that's why we're an alliance," recalled Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, a Christian Democrat, who asserted that it "wouldn't make sense" for some partners to go it alone and advocated for commitments to be "binding."

This isolation was also evident throughout the summit's staging. Sánchez was seen slightly removed in the family photo and without speaking to any of his counterparts during the more tense moments of the meeting, when leaders normally take the opportunity to exchange a few words. Thus, as soon as he entered the meeting room, he went straight to sit down, alone.