President Donald Trump threatened on Wednesday to end U.S. trade with Spain, sharply criticizing the NATO ally for refusing to commit to the alliance's new defense spending target during a summit in Ankara, Turkey.

Trump Threatens Trade Break With Spain

"Spain is a wasted cause," Trump said, according to Reuters. "We don't want to do any trade business with Spain anymore, by the way." He went further, saying, "Cut off all trade with Spain, please, including visits."

The remarks came after NATO leaders backed a new benchmark calling on allies to invest 5% of gross domestic product in defense and defense-related spending. Spain was the only member to publicly reject the full target, instead seeking flexibility in how it meets NATO capability goals.

Reuters reported that Trump told Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to halt commerce with Spain immediately, though trade continued normally after a similar March threat.

NATO Spending Fight Drives Escalation

Trump argued that Spain has benefited from NATO without paying enough. "They don't participate, they don't pay. I don't want anything to do with Spain," he said. He later added, "I don't want to do any more trade with him. All right? Take it immediately. Don't even talk to them."

Trump also predicted Spain would eventually seek to restore trade ties, saying Spanish officials would come back asking to trade with Washington.

The White House referred to the President's comments when reached out to. MarketDash also reached out to the Spanish Embassy for comment but had not heard back at the time of publishing.

EU Rules Could Complicate Threat

The threat escalates Trump's long-running criticism of NATO allies that spend less on defense. But any attempt to single out Spain could face legal and diplomatic hurdles. Spain is a member of the European Union, which negotiates trade policy as a bloc rather than through separate bilateral deals with individual member states.

The two countries traded roughly $47 billion in goods in 2025, including about $26 billion in U.S. exports to Spain and $21 billion in imports from Spain, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.

Trump's criticism also follows months of tension with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez over Iran. Spain refused to allow U.S. use of the jointly operated Rota and Morón bases for offensive operations against Iran, saying the strikes lacked international legal backing.