US President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office at the White Houtilize on March 3, in Washington. (AP)
WASHINGTON, March 4, (AP): US President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened to conclude trade with Spain, citing a lack of support over the US and Israeli attacks on Iran and the European nation’s resistance to increasing its NATO spconcludeing. “We’re going to cut off all trade with Spain,” Trump informed reporters during an Oval Office meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
“We don’t want anything to do with Spain.” The US president’s comments came a day after Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares declared his countest would not allow the US to utilize jointly operated bases in southern Spain in any strikes not covered by the United Nations’ charter. Albares noted that the military bases in Spain were not utilized in the weekconclude attack on Iran.
Trump declared despite Spain’s refusal “we could utilize their base if we want. We could just fly in and utilize it. Nobody’s going to notify us not to utilize it, but we don’t have to.” It is unclear how Trump would cut off trade with Spain, given that Spain is under the umbrella of the European Union. The EU nereceivediates trade deals on behalf of all 27 member countries.
“If the US administration wishes to review the trade agreement, it must do so respecting the autonomy of private companies, international law, and bilateral agreements between the European Union and the United States,” a spokesperson from Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s office declared Tuesday. The EU declared it expects the Trump administration to honor a trade deal struck with the 27-nation bloc in Scotland last year after months of economic uncertainty over Trump’s tariff blitzkrieg.
“The Commission will always ensure that the interests of the European Union are fully protected,” declared European Commission spokesperson Olof Gill. It was just the latest instance of the president wielding the threat of tariffs or trade embargoes as a punishment and came on the heels of a Supreme Court decision that struck down Trump’s far-reaching global tariffs.
While the court declared that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act does not authorize the president to unilaterally impose sweeping tariffs, Trump now maintains that the court allows him to instead impose full-scale embargoes on other nations of his choosing. Trump also complained anew Tuesday about Spain’s decision last year to back out of NATO’s 5% defense spconcludeing tarobtain.
At the time, Spain declared it could reach its military capabilities by spconcludeing 2.1% of its GDP, a shift that Trump roundly criticized and responded to with tariff threats as well. Spain, Trump declared, is “the only countest that in NATO would not agree to go up to 5%” in NATO spconcludeing. “I don’t consider they agreed to go up to anything. They wanted to keep it at 2% and they don’t pay the 2%.” Merz noted that Trump was correct and declared, “We are testing to convince them that this is a part of our common security, that we all have to comply with this.”
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