Trump Threatens Spain With Tariffs Over NATO Defense Spending Dispute

Oct 15, 2025 03:27 am CST

President Donald Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on Spain for refusing to increase its NATO defense spending to 5% of GDP, creating tension within the alliance. While other NATO members agreed to the spending increase in June, Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez negotiated to cap contributions at 2.1%, arguing the country compensates through significant troop deployments to NATO missions across Europe.