U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday (July 8) at a NATO summit he had ordered his Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to cut off all trade with Spain, calling Madrid a "terrible partner" in the alliance.

Trump, speaking alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the start of the summit in Ankara, said he wanted no business with Spain.

Trump has repeatedly expressed frustration with Spain, which has not agreed to NATO's new defence spending target of 5% of GDP and whose Socialist leadership refused to let the U.S. use its airspace or bases on its territory for the Iran war.

The United States has two important military bases in Spain: Naval Station Rota and Moron Air Base.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

ANKARA, TURKEY (JULY 8, 2026) (U.S. NETWORK POOL - No use USA)

1. (SOUNDBITE) (English) UNITED STATES PRESIDENT, DONALD TRUMP, SAYING:

“I spoke to Italy, I didn’t speak to Spain, Spain is a wasted cause. We don’t want to do any trade business with Spain any more by the way (inaudible). Spain is a terrible partner in NATO. They don’t participate, they don’t pay. I don’t want anything to do with Spain, cut off all trade with Spain please. Including visits, okay, we don’t anything to do. Watch them come running back, oh, they’ll come running back. They treat this man terribly [POINTS AT MARK RUTTE]. And this man’s a good man too, great man. They’re lucky they have him.

2. WHITE FLASH

3. (SOUNDBITE) (English) UNITED STATES PRESIDENT, DONALD TRUMP, SAYING:

“But Spain, because they don't agree to anything. And you shouldn’t carry them. I mean, you’re sort of automatically carrying them because you’re protecting an area so they’re there. So they probably figured, they have to protect us, right? But we don’t have to and we don’t have to trade with them, I don’t want to do any more trade with them. All right? Take it immediately, don’t even talk to them. They’re hopeless. Bad people.”