Trump Threatens Tariffs on Spain for Refusing to Raise NATO Defense Spending

President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened to impose trade penalties, including tariffs, on Spain for refusing to raise its defense spending to 5 percent of GDP, calling the country’s stance “disrespectful” to NATO.

“I’m very unhappy with Spain. They’re the only country that didn’t raise their number up to 5 percent… so I’m not happy with Spain,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “I was thinking of giving them trade punishment through tariffs because of what they did, and I think I may do that,” he added.

Trump has long pressured NATO allies to boost military spending and has repeatedly questioned whether the United States should defend members that fail to meet agreed targets. Last week, during a meeting with Finland’s president, he even suggested NATO should consider expelling Spain over its refusal to adopt the higher commitment.

NATO members have argued that increased defense spending is essential given the ongoing threat posed by Russia following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Most alliance members recently agreed to raise their target from 2 percent to 5 percent of GDP.

Spain was the only one of the 32 NATO members to opt out of the new target. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez negotiated a last-minute exemption, pledging to cap defense spending at 2.1 percent of GDP, which he described as “sufficient and realistic.”

Madrid, a NATO member since 1982, has defended its position by citing its robust troop deployments to NATO missions in Latvia, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, and Turkiye, saying its contributions on the ground make up for lower spending levels.