Walter Finch
NEW US President Donald Trump asked if NATO ally Spain was a BRICS nation when quizzed on the country’s low defence spending.
The gaff was embarrassing for both Trump and Spain, as the latter hosts a number of US military bases on its territory including the sprawling Rota naval station in Cadiz, home to the US Sixth Fleet.
Instead, Trump wondered if Spain was a member of the BRICS economic alliance consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, which aims at countering US and western influence.
During an impromptu press conference in the Oval Office, a Spanish reporter asked: “What can we expect from the NATO countries that spend the least, like Spain, below 5%?”
“Spain is very low. Are they a BRICS nation?”
“They are a BRICS nation. Spain. Do you know what a BRICS nation is? You’ll figure it out.
“And if the BRICS nations want to do that that’s okay but we’re going to put at least a 100% tariff on their business with the United States.”
Trump’s comments have sparked concerns about potential trade implications for both the European Union and actual BRICS members.
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The US president went on to describe EU trading partners as ‘tough,’ demanding they purchase more American goods, including oil, cars, and technology.
“They don’t buy our cars, they don’t buy our technology, but they must,” Trump insisted, calling for a rebalancing of trade relationships.
While the threat of 100% tariffs is unlikely to be implemented on Spain once Trump understands his mistake, it still bodes badly for the Iberian country.
Spain is currently the lowest defence spender among the 31 members of NATO, with a defence budget of just 1.28% of GDP – or around €18 billion annually, despite increasing its defence budget by 9.3% this year.
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It is well short of the alliance’s requirement of 2%, and several times less than the 5% that Trump has floated he will demand of allies if the US is to remain in NATO.
Spain’s privileged geographical position in the world, far from external threats such as Russia, Iran or China has meant the country has not felt the need to meet its NATO defence spending obligations, a fact that has drawn repeated criticism from US administrations.
This shortfall has now drawn criticism from new Trump officials, including incoming Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who pointed out that Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s government prioritises social welfare spending over military expenditure.
It has been feared that a hostile Trump administration could harm Spain’s foreign policy objectives, including sealing a deal with Gibraltar, managing relations with Morocco and ‘cornering’ Madrid’s positions in Brussels.
On a more optimistic note, it has been observed that Spain has no trade imbalance with the US – one of Trump’s pet peeves.
