Trump declares trade war on Spain: threatens to double tariffs on defense spending

The NATO summit in The Hague concluded with a head-on clash between the United States and Spain. Donald Trump did not hesitate to directly criticize the Spanish government for its stance on military spending, calling its decision "terrible." Spain has committed to spending 2,1% of its GDP on defense, a figure far below the 5% now demanded by the Alliance, which has sparked the ire of the US president.

"What Spain has done is terrible. The only country that wants to stay at 2%. It's terrible," Trump stated at the press conference following the summit. The US president immediately linked this issue to trade relations. "We are negotiating a trade agreement with Spain, and we will make them pay double. I'm serious. They want a free deal, but they will have to pay us back through trade.", Sentenció.

The threat was explicit and direct, insisting that if Spain does not assume the new spending commitment, "They'll refund us in tariffs because I'm not going to let that happen."Trump even personalized the negotiation, bypassing the usual channels: "I'm going to negotiate directly with Spain. I'll do it myself. They're going to pay. They'll pay more money this way. You should tell them to come back and pay.", he told the journalists present.

Sánchez's defense of Spanish sovereignty

Faced with Trump's onslaught, the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, firmly defended Spain's position. At the end of the summit, he confirmed that the country will invest 2,1% of its GDP in defense, a figure that, according to him, "It is sufficient and compatible with our social model".

Sánchez justified his refusal to escalate to 5% by considering it "disproportionate and unnecessary", arguing that it would mean a "waste of billions of euros" without a substantial improvement in national security. The Spanish president asserted that the agreement reached with NATO "It satisfies all parties" and, more importantly, "The sovereignty of our country is respected"For Sánchez, the conclusion is clear: "Spain is always the solution, never the problem.".

Although Spain's position has drawn criticism from some partners, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has acknowledged the flexibility of the agreement, which allows Spain to follow its own investment roadmap. However, this nuance has not calmed Trump, who insists on his particular view of tariff policy, ignoring the fact that, ultimately, the additional costs fall on consumers in his own country.

International trade experts point to a key weakness in Trump's threat: The United States could not, in principle, impose unilateral and differentiated tariffs on Spain.Trade policy is the exclusive responsibility of the European Union, which negotiates block agreements for its 27 members. It would be highly unlikely that Brussels would accept discriminatory treatment toward one of its partners, which opens a new front of tension not only with Spain, but with the EU as a whole.