Newly elected United States President Donald Trump mistakenly identified Spain as a BRICS nation in the Oval Office at the White House on Monday, when answering a question about NATO during a press conference.
While he was signing executive orders immediately after his swearing-in ceremony, Trump was simultaneously answering questions from some reporters. One journalist asked him about contributions to NATO from countries like Spain, which Trump described as being ‘very low’.
Trump then went on to say that Spain was a BRICS nation. BRICS is not an actual ‘alliance’ but a group of emerging economies that analysts considered to have broadly the same types of economic trends in the early 2000s.
BRICS takes its name from the initials of some its first ‘members’ – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – but it now includes Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates. Spain, Europe’s fifth largest economy, is not considered a BRICS nation.
When Trump was asked about the contribution of less than 5% from several NATO countries to the Atlantic Alliance, including Spain, he asserted that Spain is part of the BRICS.
‘I think Spain is well below,’ said the US president. He then went on to ask the reporter: ‘And yet are they a BRICS nation?’
Before the reporter could respond, Trump said: ‘Spain is a BRICS nation. Do you know what a BRICS nation is? You’ll figure it out.’
‘If the BRICS want to do that,’ the president continued, ‘that’s fine, but we are going to impose at least a 100% tariff on the business they do with the United States.’
Trump has told European officials many times that he wants NATO members to up spending on NATO to a total of 5% of GDP.
Spain’s Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares, has previously said that Spain aims to invest at least 2% of its GDP to NATO by 2029. According to Albares, there are a total of 10 countries that still contribute less than 2% of their GDP.
Trump on Spain: They are BRICS nation. Do you know what a BRICS nation is? You will figure it out.
Fact check: Spain is NOT a BRICS nation. pic.twitter.com/uZh4mEKz9i
— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) January 21, 2025
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