Trump Slams Spain Over Defense Spending — Suggests NATO Should “Maybe Throw Them Out”
#DonaldTrump #NATO #Spain
A routine White House press conference between U.S. President Donald Trump and Finnish President Alexander Stubb turned sharply confrontational when Trump openly criticized Spain’s defense policy, suggesting that NATO should consider expelling Madrid for failing to meet new alliance spending targets.
Trump’s remarks came after Stubb praised Washington’s decision to raise NATO’s defense spending threshold from 2 to 5 percent of GDP by 2035, calling it “a game-changer” that boosts Europe’s security. Finland, he noted, is already increasing its military budget “north of 3 percent.”
But Trump immediately pivoted to single out Spain as “the one laggard.” “The only NATO country that didn’t do it is Spain,” he said. “You have to call them and find out why they’re a laggard. Maybe you should throw them out of NATO, frankly.”
The statement drew audible surprise from reporters and marked one of Trump’s most direct attacks on a NATO ally since returning to office. He added that Spain has “no excuse not to do this,” noting that the country’s economy “is doing fine.”
Trump’s criticism follows a June 2025 announcement by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who reaffirmed that Spain would cap its defense spending at 2 percent of GDP, calling it “a realistic and socially responsible goal.” Sánchez argued that Spain already meets NATO capability requirements and had increased defense spending by 70 percent since 2018.
The move, however, put Madrid at odds with NATO’s collective decision — reached at the 2024 summit in The Hague — to boost spending to 5 percent of GDP by 2035. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte later clarified that there would be “no exceptions” to the alliance-wide target.
During the same press event, Trump pivoted from his sharp criticism of Spain to warmly assure Finland of U.S. commitment. “We’re going to work very closely with Finland and NATO. We have a very good relationship,” he said, calling Finland “a strong partner that gets it.”
He also reiterated that his administration’s push for higher defense spending had already strengthened transatlantic security. “Most people thought that was not going to happen — and it happened virtually unanimously,” Trump said.
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