Trump Orders Scott Bessent to 'Cut Off All Trade' With 'Hostile' NATO Member

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the United States will halt trade with Spain, escalating his criticism of Madrid over its NATO defense spending and its refusal to support U.S. military operations during the Iran conflict.

Spain reportedly denied the United States the ability to launch missions against Iran from American-used bases in Morón and Rota. The country has also drawn Trump’s anger for falling short of what he views as a fair contribution to NATO’s collective defense burden.

Trump made clear that his patience with Madrid has run out.

“Spain is a wasted cause,” Trump said in a video posted to X.

“We don’t want to do any trade business with Spain anymore, by the way. I’d like you to cut it out,” Trump said, speaking to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

“Spain is a terrible partner in NATO. They don’t participate, they don’t pay. I don’t want anything to do with Spain.”

The president then went further, calling for a broader cutoff.

“Cut off all trade with Spain, including visits,” Trump said. “We don’t want anything to do… Watch them come running back. They’ll come running back.”

Trump also defended NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, saying Spain had treated him “terribly.”

“Spain doesn’t agree to anything and you shouldn’t carry them,” Trump said, noting Rutte and NATO may feel they have to protect Spain. “But we don’t have to. We don’t have to trade with them. I don’t want to do any trade with them. No more trade with them. Alright? Immediately. Don’t even talk to them.”

The president’s remarks reflect a core principle of his second-term foreign policy: allies cannot expect American protection, American markets, and American military strength while refusing to carry their share of the burden.

For decades, European governments have relied on U.S. taxpayers to underwrite their security while spending domestic money elsewhere. Trump has repeatedly argued that the arrangement is no longer acceptable, especially as global threats intensify and American citizens continue facing economic pressure at home.

“They’re hopeless. Bad people,” Trump said, adding that Spain was “hostile” in their attitude towards paying the nation’s fair share for the defense of Europe.

“Let’s see how hostile they remain when they call up and they say, ‘please, please we want to trade with you, sir, we want to trade with you sir.’ They make so much money with us and we’re going to see that they make a lot less,” Trump said.

According to Reuters, as Trump spoke of cutting off trade with Spain, Bessent at one point replied, “Yes, sir.”

During the news conference in Ankara, Turkey, Rutte acknowledged that Trump had already pushed Spain to increase defense spending, according to CNBC.

“You got Spain to pay 2 percent. They spent, they made a huge step in last year,” he said, while also agreeing there were still “issues we have to solve” concerning Spain.

Spain increased defense spending from 1.4 percent of GDP in 2021 to 2.1 percent in 2025. Still, Trump’s position appears to be that Madrid’s behavior, particularly during the Iran conflict, shows that spending numbers alone are not enough if an ally refuses to stand with the United States when it matters.

U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker described the tension between Washington and Europe over defense spending as “growing pains.”

“I see these as just the challenges that we’ve worked through before,” he said.

Trump’s threat against Spain sends a direct message to Europe: alliance membership is not a one-way street. Nations that benefit from American security guarantees must contribute seriously, cooperate strategically, and stop treating Washington as a permanent shield while undermining U.S. priorities.

For Spain, the question is now whether it will continue resisting Trump’s demands or come back to the table before the economic consequences begin to bite.