“I did have issues with Spain, and I still do, but Spain came back all the way today. Spain was very generous today, you know, I told them I was going to stop trading,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One. “They honored a request for lots of payment.”
Trump’s statement generated considerable confusion in Madrid.
Shortly after the president’s comments were reported on Thursday, Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares told national broadcaster RTVE that he did not know what Trump was talking about. “Only he can explain,” the diplomat said.
Spanish officials on Friday said they were opting to assume the president was alluding to the work the country has done to meet its existing military expenditure commitments. Asked if Madrid had taken on any additional expenditures, a Spanish government spokesperson told POLITICO, “No, we understand [Trump] was referring to the data showing we’ve satisfactorily complied with the 2 percent target.”
The official noted Madrid has tripled the amount it spends on defense since 2018. Those increases were also recognized by NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, who also referred to Spain’s collaboration in deploying troops to participate in the alliance’s missions during a post-summit press conference.
As of June 2026, Spain is the NATO member with the largest number of troops deployed on the alliance’s eastern flank and one of the few members leading strategic missions such as the maritime component of the Allied Reaction Force and the Multinational Brigade in Slovakia.