Trump said the United States would halt all trade with Spain. The news came as a shock during the NATO summit in Ankara. But it did not take long before Spain sought calmer waters, and Trump was not difficult to persuade. He and Sánchez had a pleasant conversation about football and golf. Spain had until now flatly refused to spend more than 2 per cent of GDP on defence. Now the tune has changed.
After describing Spain’s socialist government as “a lost cause” and stating that the United States did not need to trade with Spain, President Trump added that he believed Spain would “come running back”.
And that is exactly what happened.
President Trump’s claim appears to have become reality only a few hours later. Speaking to a Reuters journalist aboard Air Force One, Trump said that Spain “came all the way back today”.
“Spain, I have to say I had problems with Spain, and I still do, but Spain came all the way back today. Spain was very generous today. You know, I told them I was going to stop trading with them,” President Trump said.
Asked what Spain had done, President Trump replied: “They granted a request for large payments — and if they hadn’t done that, we wouldn’t even be talking to them.”
“They’ve behaved very badly, in my opinion,” Trump added.
President Trump did not specify what the payments entail. The Spanish government had not disclosed details of what had been agreed at the time of publication.
A few hours before President Trump made the announcement, Prime Minister Sánchez confirmed to journalists at the NATO summit that he had held an “informal” conversation with Trump after the latter had ordered a halt to trade with Spain. Sánchez and Trump reportedly spoken without tension and discussed football and golf.
This is how Trump demonstrates his power. He does not need to rub it in.
A few hours before President Trump made the announcement, Prime Minister Sánchez confirmed to journalists at the NATO summit that he had held an “informal” conversation with Trump after the latter had ordered a halt to trade with Spain. Sánchez and Trump reportedly according to reports spoke without tension and discussed football and golf. “We discussed football and the World Cup in the United States. It was an informal, relaxed conversation, entirely free of tension. On the contrary, it was characterised by warmth and friendliness,” Sánchez said. “It took place after the press conference held by the President of the United States.”
According to the socialist Prime Minister, the Spanish government learned of the order halting trade through journalists. He claimed that the Spanish government viewed the statements with “calm and patience, and also a sense of normality”.
“For when, ultimately, you look at these kinds of statements from a little distance, you see that the relationship between the United States and Spain — socially, culturally, economically and politically — is very positive,” he said.
Those were hardly the same tones Sánchez struck when he hosted an international congress against Trump in Barcelona only a couple of months ago.
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2026/07/09/trump-says-nato-deadbeat-spain-agreed-to-pay-more-after-u-s-trade-halt-order/