Spain 'nobody’s lackey,' Spanish minister says in response to Trump

Lead

Spain has pushed back against US President Donald Trump's latest verbal attack, with a senior minister declaring the country is "nobody's lackey" while the prime minister sought to downplay the friction and stress that ties with Washington remain constructive.

Speaking to reporters ahead of a NATO leaders' meeting in Ankara, Trump called Spain a "wasted cause" and "hopeless, bad people," and ordered officials to halt all trade with the country — the second time he has made such a threat since March, as reported by the South China Morning Post.

Coverage Comparison

Reporting on the exchange differs in emphasis. The South China Morning Post focused on Spain's composed response and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's assurance that the relationship with the United States remains positive. In contrast, TASS — English coverage centered on Trump's criticism and the subsequent claim by the US president that Spain had "come back all the way" after honoring a payment request.

The Russian state agency also reported on the response from Spanish Minister of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and 2030 Agenda Pablo Bustinduy, who defended Spain's sovereignty and independence in the face of Trump's criticism of Madrid as a NATO partner.

Key Claims

Trump's Criticism of Spain

US President Donald Trump criticized Spain for its reluctance to support the US-Israeli operation in Iran, according to TASS — English. Trump had previously stated that Spain was not a good NATO ally for the United States. The criticism came amid Washington's disappointment with Spain's actions during the US-Israeli war with Iran and Madrid's unwillingness to increase military spending to 5% of GDP, as reported by TASS — English.

Threat to Halt Trade

Trump threatened to halt trade with Spain, a threat reported by multiple sources. During his comments in Ankara, he ordered officials to cut off trade with the country, a move that the South China Morning Post noted was the second such threat since March. Trump later told Bloomberg, as quoted by TASS — English: "I told him I'm going to stop trading. They made, they honored a request for lots of payment, and if they didn't, we wouldn't even talk to them."

Spain's Response

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said he had spoken with Trump after the outburst and that relations with America remained constructive. "I had the chance to have an informal chat with the president of the United States … there was absolutely no tension of any kind," Sanchez said, according to the South China Morning Post, adding that the pair had discussed the World Cup. Madrid received the US president's statements with "calm and patience, and a certain sense of normality," Sanchez said, noting it was not the first time Spain had faced such criticism.

Spanish Minister of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and 2030 Agenda Pablo Bustinduy, as quoted by the EFE news agency and reported by TASS — English, said he wasn't ruffled by the US president's latest remarks. "We are nobody's lackey, we are a sovereign country," Bustinduy said, adding that the majority of Spaniards want "a country with its own voice, one that determines its own priorities." He stressed that Spain would continue doing that.

Perspectives

Spanish Government

The Spanish government, through Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, sought to project calm and maintain constructive relations with the United States. Sanchez emphasized that his informal chat with Trump was free of tension and that Spain had faced similar criticism before.

Spanish Minister Pablo Bustinduy

Minister Pablo Bustinduy took a more defiant stance, asserting Spain's sovereignty and independence. He dismissed Trump's criticism, declaring that Spain is "nobody's lackey" and that the country will determine its own priorities.

US President Donald Trump

President Trump criticized Spain as a "terrible partner" in NATO during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, and threatened to halt trade. He later claimed that Spain "came back all the way" and honored a payment request, according to Bloomberg, as reported by TASS — English.