President Trump has announced that he is considering imposing tariffs on Spain for failing to meet his proposed defense spending target of 5% of GDP.
“I’m very unhappy with Spain. They are the only country that hasn’t raised their defense budget to 5% of GDP. Every other NATO member has increased theirs,” U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House on October 14.
The president argued that Spain is taking advantage of its favorable geographic position in Europe, which he said provides the country with natural protection regardless of its contribution to NATO. When asked whether Spain could be expelled from NATO, Trump did not give a direct answer but instead emphasized the potential economic consequences Madrid could face.
“I think it’s very disrespectful to NATO. In fact, I’ve considered imposing trade sanctions on Spain in the form of tariffs for what they’ve done. I might take action. They should be punished,” Trump said, calling Spain’s decision “terrible and unfair” to the alliance. “They’re benefiting a lot from us.”
Spanish officials have not yet commented on the matter.
Under pressure from President Trump, the 32 NATO member states agreed in June to significantly increase military spending over the next decade. Under the new framework, 3.5% of GDP will be allocated to core defense, while another 1.5% will go toward broader areas such as infrastructure and cybersecurity. This new target replaces the 2% of GDP threshold that NATO adopted back in 2014.
Spain currently has one of the lowest defense budget ratios among NATO members. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has repeatedly stated that his country does not need to meet the 5% GDP target.
Last week, President Trump said that Spain should be stripped of its NATO membership.
Following Trump’s threat, sources within the Spanish government emphasized that the country remains a committed member of NATO and continues to uphold its obligations to the alliance. “Our nation meets capability goals comparable to those of the United States,” one official said.
