US President Donald Trump has renewed his criticism of Spain, describing the country as ‘terrible’ and ‘a horror show’ while accusing several NATO allies of failing to support Washington during its conflict with Iran.
Trump made the comments on Wednesday during talks at the White House with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (main image), one day after the United States and Iran agreed to a ceasefire.
The US president directed his criticism at the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, claiming they had not stood alongside Washington throughout the six-week war.
‘Spain is a horror show. Spain is terrible. I was disappointed with Italy. I was disappointed with the UK. We were disappointed with Germany and France. We’re disappointed with most of them,’ Trump said.
He argued that many allies expected the United States to shoulder the burden alone, accusing them of seeking a ‘free ride’, while maintaining that America had been fully capable of defeating Iran without outside assistance.
‘We didn’t need help on this at all. We demolished [Iran] literally in the first week, but it would have been nice if they had said, ‘We’d like to help’,’ Trump said.
Trump added that his main expectation from NATO members was continued support for the United States.
‘I just want loyalty. You know, we’re so loyal to them. We are always fighting for them,’ he said, pointing to the tens of thousands of American troops stationed throughout Europe.
Spain has repeatedly drawn Trump’s criticism in recent weeks. The Spanish government declined to allow US forces to use the jointly operated naval base at Rota and Morón airbase in southern Spain for operations against Iran, arguing that such strikes would violate international law.
Madrid has also refused to back NATO’s new target of raising defence spending to 5% of GDP, a commitment accepted by the alliance’s other members. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has described the objective as ‘unreasonable’ and said it would be counterproductive.
Rutte sought to ease tensions during the meeting, without openly challenging Trump’s remarks, highlighting the broader contribution made by European allies during the campaign.
‘I know there have been isolated cases about which you are really disappointed,’ Rutte said. ‘But generally speaking, your European allies have been there’
The NATO chief added that between 4,000 and 5,000 US aircraft had operated from bases across Europe during the six weeks of fighting, arguing that the campaign had significantly reduced Iran’s nuclear capabilities and improved global security.
The exchange came less than two weeks before leaders of NATO’s 32 member states are due to meet for a summit in Ankara on 7 and 8 July.
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Trump arremete contra España: «Es un auténtico desastre»
— El Debate (@eldebate_com) June 25, 2026
💬«España es un desastre, es terrible y no quieren pagar nada… No es un buen grupo para nada» pic.twitter.com/gG3JOMo6Ml
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