Trump Softens Tone Toward Spain After NATO Clash

Madrid said US President Donald Trump had softened his rhetoric toward Spain just hours after threatening to halt trade with the country at the NATO summit in Ankara. Trump had initially described Spain as a problematic partner over disagreements on defense spending and the war with Iran.

However, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump later said Spain had ultimately been very generous.

A spokesperson for Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Trump's remarks were understood to refer to Spain's commitment to meet NATO's former target of spending 2% of GDP on defense. At the summit, Sanchez confirmed that Spain would reach that threshold this year after more than doubling defense spending to €33bn ($38.6bn).

Madrid nevertheless continues to reject Trump’s proposal to raise defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035, arguing that the increase would come at the expense of social benefits.

Despite the easing of tensions, a US official said federal agencies would present Trump with a list of Spanish products that could be subject to an embargo. Trump could invoke his extraordinary economic powers to impose the measures. Spain’s opposition People’s Party criticized the government but argued that economic realities and billions of dollars in investments by US companies such as Amazon ultimately outweigh Trump's rhetoric.

(Reuters, Max)