Less than a week after saying that Spain wasn’t being a “team player” amid the ongoing United States and Israeli joint military strikes on Iran, U.S. President Donald Trump said he is open to cutting off trade with Spain.
Speaking with reporters on Wednesday afternoon, Trump said that Spain is “not cooperating” with the U.S. Although he did not call out Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Trump didn’t need to do so when he went on the offensive. “I think they’ve been very bad,” Trump said Wednesday, adding, “Very bad. Not good at all.”
“I don’t know what Spain’s doing,” Trump added. “They’ve been very bad to NATO.”
Trump on Spain: They’re not cooperating at all. They’ve been very bad. We may cut off trade with Spain. pic.twitter.com/9wlUGUY10F
— Acyn (@Acyn) March 11, 2026
Trump had previously expressed frustration with Spain for securing an exemption from the NATO commitment to reach 5% of GDP in defense and security-related spending by 2035. Sánchez said last June that the idea would “not only be unreasonable but also counterproductive.”
“They get protected,” Trump said. “They don’t want to pay their fair share, and they’ve been that way for many years now.” Trump then made it clear that his issues are not with Spanish citizens, calling the people of Spain “fantastic.” However, his problem is with Sánchez and the current leadership. Sánchez had not responded to Trump’s most recent comments.
During an interview last week with the New York Post, Trump called Spain a “loser” and also shared his disappointment with the United Kingdom, specifically Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Initially, Starmer refused to help the U.S. and Israel during the attacks on Iran, reiterating his belief that he needed to focus on the UK’s domestic issues.
Trump slammed Spain as “losers” and said he is “very disappointed” with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, adding that “he’s not Winston Churchill.”
“We have a lot of winners, but Spain is a loser, and the UK has been very disappointing,” Trump said in an interview with The… pic.twitter.com/GyenSaVs9N
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) March 5, 2026
Starmer has since slightly reversed course, allowing American planes to use British military bases while traveling to the Middle East. However, Trump remained irritated with Starmer, writing on Truth Social last weekend that the UK was “our once great ally.” “We don’t need people that join Wars after we’ve already won!” Trump wrote. Trump and Starmer spoke on the phone last weekend. It is unclear whether they have spoken since.
The New York Times reported that over 1,800 people have died in Iran and elsewhere, including seven U.S. military members, since the strikes began on Feb. 28. Many senior Iranian leaders, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, died during the initial strikes. At least another 140 U.S. military members are believed to have been injured.
Spain and the United Kingdom aren’t the only countries to incur Trump’s vocal wrath of late. Florida Sen. Rick Scott called Iran, North Korea, and China “evil” during an appearance on Fox Business earlier this week. Trump has also repeatedly criticized Somalia during the ongoing fraud investigation in Minnesota, as many of the people being investigated are of Somali background.
