Hours after US President Donald Trump once again threatened Spain with tariffs unless it increased its defence spending, the Spanish government has hit back.
‘The punishment he wants to impose on the Spanish people will end up costing Americans dearly. Spain’s trade balance with the United States is in deficit – in other words, those policies would actually hurt Americans,’ warned Labour Minister and deputy PM Yolanda Díaz (main image).
‘The punishment will end up being very expensive for Trump,’ Díaz said. ‘If that were to happen, Spain will defend its productive sectors. If we have to defend our olive oil, our automobile industry, or any other affected sectors, we will do so. In Spain, Spaniards make the decisions – we are not his protectorate,’ she said, referring to Trump’s threat.
Trump reignited the tariff threat late on Tuesday, after the Spanish government declined to raise its defence spending to the 5% of GDP target he claimed had been agreed at the NATO summit in June. ALSO READ: NATO leaders agree to increase spending and reiterate ‘ironclad commitment’ to collective defence.
‘I’m not happy with Spain,’ said Trump on Tuesday. They get protection [from NATO]. I think what Spain did was very bad for NATO. And yet, even though they refuse to increase their investment, they’re going to receive investment. I think that’s very wrong – it’s disrespectful to NATO. Maybe I’ll punish them in trade, through tariffs,’ he said from the White House.
His comments came just a day after Trump and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez exchanged a cordial greeting at the Gaza Peace Summit in Egypt. Only 24 hours before threatening tariffs, Trump had approached Sánchez and asked whether they were ‘working on the GDP issue here’. He then said, ‘You’re doing a fantastic job.’ ALSO READ: Trump tells Sánchez he’s doing a ‘fantastic job’ – days after suggesting Spain should be thrown out of NATO.
Trump’s back-and-forth towards Spain has been ongoing for days, not just the past 48 hours. Last week, he had already threatened to expel Spain from NATO if it failed to meet the 5% defence spending level. ALSO READ: Trump suggests Spain should be ‘thrown out’ of NATO due to low defence spend.
According to Spanish media reports citing sources from Moncloa (the Prime Minister’s office) Trump’s remarks have been downplayed by the government, and that Spain will honour its own 2% spending commitment agreed and ratified at the last NATO summit. ALSO READ: Spain reaches deal with NATO to be excluded from 5% defence spending goal.
Government officials also stressed that at the two most recent public forums where both leaders were present – the Egypt summit this week and the NATO meeting in June – the tone had been cordial and respectful. ‘He simply repeated what we already know: that he would like it to be that way,’ sources at Moncloa said, according to RTVE.
Spain’s Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares, speaking to the press in China, responded to the latest US threats by underscoring that Spain’s commitment to NATO and its contribution to Euro-Atlantic security are ‘beyond all doubt’.
Albares reiterated that Spain ‘is a reliable ally’, maintaining a significant deployment on NATO’s eastern flank, which he described as ‘essential’ for the security of the region.
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📹 Yolanda Díaz advierte a Trump: «El pretendido castigo que quiere profesar a España le va a salir muy caro». pic.twitter.com/VAjVjesbfQ
— THE OBJECTIVE (@TheObjective_es) October 15, 2025
President Trump threatens tariffs on Spain over its refusal to boost NATO defense spending. Spain is the only member of the 32-nation alliance not to commit to increasing military spending to 5% of GDP https://t.co/YoHXRIPXNK pic.twitter.com/TYjAOwTEYl
— Reuters (@Reuters) October 15, 2025
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