Trump Sends ‘Serious’ Threat to ‘the Only Country’ That Won’t Increase NATO Spending
In a recent NATO summit, President Donald Trump expressed his anger towards Spain for negotiating a deal that allows the country to maintain its defense spending at 2.1% of its GDP, instead of adhering to the agreed increase to 5% by 2035. Trump criticized Spain for being the only NATO member not meeting the 2% threshold, suggesting it was unfair given their economic success. He indicated that the U.S. might negotiate a trade deal with spain to make them “pay twice as much.” Despite his frustration, he acknowledged his fondness for the country. At the summit, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte praised Trump for his efforts in promoting defense spending among NATO allies, calling him a “man of strength” and emphasizing the historical meaning of the agreement to raise defense budgets.
President Donald Trump lashed out at Spain on Wednesday for cutting a side deal with NATO that would allow it to avoid an increase in spending on defense.
On Wednesday, NATO leaders agreed to increase their spending on defense to 5 percent gross domestic product by 2035, according to Axios.
However, prior to the NATO summit taking place in the Netherlands, Spain made a deal to have its defense spending at 2.1 percent of its GDP.
That infuriated Trump, who spent much of his first term as president pushing NATO members to increase their NATO contributions to 2 percent of their GDP.
“I think Spain is terrible, what they’ve done,” Trump said in a video posted to X.
“They’re the only country that won’t pay the full up,” Trump said.
— Fox News (@FoxNews) June 25, 2025
“They want to stay at 2 percent, and I think it’s terrible,” he said.
“And, you know, they’re doing very well. The economy is very well. And that economy could be blown right out of the water with something bad happening,” Trump said.
After learning the reporter speaking to Trump was from Spain, the president said, “You’re the only country that is not paying. I don’t know what the problem is.”
“I think, it’s too bad,” Trump said. “So we’ll make it up. You know what we’re going to do? We’re negotiating with Spain on a trade deal. We’re going to make them pay twice as much, and I’m actually serious about it.”
According to Axios, Trump later said, he would talk “directly with Spain.”
“I do like Spain, by the way,” Trump said, according to The Hill. “I think it’s unfair that they’re not paying.”
As the NATO summit ended, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte called Trump a “man of strength” and a “man of peace,” according to Fox News.
“I just want to recognize your decisive action on Iran,” Rutte said.
“You are a man of strength, but you are also a man of peace. And the fact that you are now also successful in getting this ceasefire done between Israel and Iran — I really want to commend you for that. I think this is important for the whole world.”
Rutte said, getting NATO nations to spend 5 percent of GDP on defense was a “big success” and something “no American president in decades could get done.”
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