Spain has responded to Trump's new trade threats
Spanish authorities have stated that they do not consider severing trade relations with the U.S. to be a realistic option, despite President Donald Trump’s latest threats. Officials in Madrid have assured that they are taking the American leader’s statements in stride and expect economic cooperation between the two countries to continue.
The U.S. president’s latest remarks, in which he called Spain a “lost cause,” were made during the NATO summit in Ankara.
Spanish government sources emphasized that the country maintains excellent economic, social, and cultural relations with the United States, and that bilateral ties are mutually beneficial. In particular, the U.S. has a trade surplus with Spain, and economic cooperation itself is driven by private companies, not governments.
Furthermore, officials in Madrid stressed that the U.S. cannot unilaterally halt trade with a single European country, as the European Union is a unified trading bloc.
It is noted that Spain had already reacted in a similar manner several months ago when Trump threatened to sever relations due to Madrid’s refusal to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP, according to EFE.
As a reminder, U.S. President Donald Trump criticized Spain ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara, stating his intention to sever trade relations and halt visits between the two countries.
Rutte supported Trump on NATO defense spending and policy toward Iran.
