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 being held in The Hague, and Donald Trump has not missed the opportunity to unleash his full power on Moncloa Palace. "Spain is terrible," said the US president. He then threatened the Spanish government and assured that, one way or another, he will make it pay the bill. "We will make them pay double," said the US president, who controls de facto the Atlantic Alliance.

The New York tycoon then briefly praised Spain – "it's a fantastic place, its people are great [...] and the Spanish economy is doing very well" – only to then unceremoniously lash out at it again. "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 said that he will negotiate with the Spanish government "personally and bilaterally" regarding their trade relations to put an end to what he called "unfair." But the reality is that international trade is the responsibility of the EU. The Spanish Minister of Economy, Carlos Cuerpo, later rejected this bilateral negotiation proposed by Trump, arguing that Spain "is in a customs union with 27 states" and all trade negotiations with the United States must be conducted directly with the European Commission, which "has the authority to do so."

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 a way 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 about the ARA (Argentine National Action Party), the European Commission responded that it has "no comment to make" on the White House's threats, especially while "negotiations are underway."

From Madrid, the second vice president of the Spanish government, Yolanda Díaz, responded to the New York magnate that Spain "is sovereign" and "does not accept threats from anyone." "We will not increase defense spending to please Donald Trump. Our priority is social spending, and we owe it to the Spanish people," Díaz wrote to Bluesky. PP sources also warn Donald Trump that they "will 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 was hinted at throughout the summit in The Hague, but it didn't materialize until the end of the US president's final press conference. Until then, the New York magnate had been surprisingly restrained, simply describing the Spanish president as "a little bit of a problem." Hours before, the Spanish president had avoided contact with Trump in the moments leading up to the meeting, just in case. Sources at the Moncloa Palace assure us that his intention was in no way to create an "international conflict" between Washington and Madrid.

Although in a completely different tone than 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 many 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 opposition to "exceptions" within NATO; and the Polish Defense Minister, Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, said that "deviating" from achieving the 5% military spending threshold would set a "bad example." "I hope everyone does their part, because at the end of the day that's why we're an alliance," recalled Greek Prime Minister, Christian Democrat Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who assured that "it wouldn't make sense" for some partners to be "free" and advocated that the commitments be "binding."

This isolation has also been evident throughout the staging of the summit. Sánchez was seen slightly apart in the family photo and without speaking to any of his counterparts during the most 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.