Trump considers imposing tariffs on Spain over its insufficient defense spending
US President Donald Trump said Tuesday he is considering imposing tariffs on Spain to punish it for not spending 5% of its gross domestic product on defense, a target he has pushed for NATO members to set.
“I think this is very insulting to NATO,” Trump told reporters at the White House, adding, “I’m considering punishing them with trade tariffs for what they’ve done, and I may do that”.
Last week, Trump proposed expelling Spain from NATO for failing to meet the 5% of GDP defense spending requirement he had previously emphasized.
In June, the 32-member NATO alliance agreed to significantly increase defense spending over the next decade under pressure from Trump.
Spanish Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez insisted that Madrid wouldn’t need to achieve this high figure. Spain is one of the NATO countries that spends relatively little on defense.
After Trump threatened to expel Spain from NATO, government sources in Madrid stressed on Friday the country’s commitment to NATO and its full membership.
