Ahmet Salih Alacaci
18 April 2026•Update: 18 April 2026
US President Donald Trump on Saturday criticized Spain’s economic performance and its military spending as a NATO ally.
“Has anybody looked at how badly the country of Spain is doing,” Trump asked in a post on his social media company Truth Social.
“Their financial numbers, despite contributing almost nothing to NATO and their military defense, are absolutely horrendous,” he added.
Ties between the US and Spain have been fraying in recent weeks as the Trump administration has insisted NATO allies increase military spending to 5% of national income, something Madrid has refused to do.
Tensions rose further as Spain emerged as one of the leading critics of the war that the US and Israel launched against Iran on Feb. 28.
Tehran retaliated to the joint US-Israeli offensive with strikes on Israel and other regional countries hosting US assets.
The war has been on hold since April 8, when Pakistan mediated a two-week ceasefire.
Washington and Tehran held talks in Pakistan last weekend, and efforts for another session in Islamabad are underway.