Donald Trump slams ‘loser’ Spain after risk to grab NATO army bases

President Trump has blasted a NATO ally as a “loser” after the country refused to allow US forces to use its bases to attack Iran.

Trump went on a rampage against Spain on Thursday, calling the EU nation a “loser” and “very hostile to NATO”.

“They don’t pay their — they’re the only one that voted against the 5% payment, and they’re very hostile to everyone,” he told the New York Post, referring to the commitment of NATO members to contribute 5% of their GDP to defence.

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He added that Spain was “not a team player” and warned that the US was “not going to be a team player with Spain either”. Earlier in the week he said the US “can just fly in and use” Spanish bases, adding: “Nobody is going to tell us not to use it”.

At a press conference on Tuesday Trump railed against Spain during a briefing to journalists at the White House. “We’re going to cut off all trade with Spain. We don’t want anything to do with Spain,” the US president said.

Trump said the United States would cut off all trade with Spain after it refused to let the US military use its bases for missions linked to strikes on Iran. “Spain has been terrible,” Trump told reporters during a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, adding that he had told Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to “cut off all dealings” with Spain.

“It started when every European nation, at my request, made 5%, which they should be doing. Everybody was enthusiastic – Germany, everybody – but Spain didn’t do it.”

Earlier in the week Trump said Spain revoked the US access to its NATO bases. “And that’s all right, we can use their bases if we want,” Trump said. “We can just fly in and use it. Nobody is going to tell us not to use it. They were unfriendly.”

Spain is not the only NATO ally that has come in for criticism from the US president, Trump also repeated his jibe at Keir Starmer, reportedly telling the Post today: “Well, he’s not Winston Churchill, let me put it that way.”

Trump said he was “surprised” and “disappointed” by the prime minister’s reluctance to work with the US in their military assault on Iran. “He should be giving us, without question or hesitation, things like bases where we can use others,” Trumop said, referring to wrangling over the use of the UK’s airbase on Diego Garcia in the Chagos Islands for initial US strikes against Iran.

Starmer had refused to let the United States use the Diego Garcia base in the Indian Ocean, and RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, for the initial strikes on Iran. However, the US will now be allowed access to UK bases for limited “defensive” strikes on Iranian missile capabilities.

“President Trump has expressed his disagreement with our decision not to get involved in the initial strikes, but it is my duty to judge what is in Britain’s national interest,” Starmer told MPs earlier this week.