Donald Trump calls Spain a ruined country over NATO spending and Ceuta border crisis
US President Donald Trump stated that Spain will become a ruined country, citing its defense budget dispute with NATO and the July migrant crossings into the autonomous city of Ceuta.
Remarks on GB News and NATO contributions
In an interview broadcast on 3 September 2026 with British network GB News, US President Donald Trump criticized the Spanish government under Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. Trump stated that Spain faces economic hardship over its security policies and its defense budget posture within the Atlantic alliance. The US president specifically criticized Spain for refusing to raise its military expenditure toward 5% of gross domestic product, a benchmark adopted by most NATO member countries, while noting that the Spanish administration had responded by stating it would not pay.
Spain will be a ruined country. I have had my own problems with Spain because it does not behave very well regarding NATO. It does not pay what it should pay.
Tensions between Washington and Madrid also stem from Spain's refusal to authorize the use of its military bases for refueling US combat aircraft participating in military operations against Iran.
Ceuta border crossings and US campaign rhetoric
Trump directly linked his assessment of Spain to the border crisis in the North African autonomous city of Ceuta, where tens of thousands of migrants crossed from Morocco at the end of July 2026. Source estimates regarding the crossing span from over 70,000 people entering across two days to approximately 80,000 individuals in the initial phase. Trump compared the border events in Ceuta to border security debates in the United States ahead of the legislative elections scheduled for 3 November 2026, stating that similar mass entries could occur in American territory if the Democratic Party returns to office.
What is happening there is very sad to see. Miles of people storming en masse into your country. I have never seen anything like it.
Trump previously attributed the July border events to weak legislation and administrative mismanagement, pointing to a July ruling by the Spanish Supreme Court regarding returns of migrants who arrive by swimming. The Spanish government described those interpretations as hoaxes that encouraged the crossings.
- Spanish Supreme Court issues ruling interpreted as restricting returns of migrants who swim across borders
- Tens of thousands of migrants enter the autonomous city of Ceuta from Morocco across two days
- Donald Trump and Javier Milei criticize Spain over defense spending and border policy
- Scheduled date for United States legislative elections
Political reactions in Madrid and international criticism
The remarks drew immediate reaction from Spanish officials and foreign political leaders. Spanish Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility Óscar Puente responded on social platform X, arguing that Trump was attempting to assume the role of the domestic political opposition because he lacked confidence in Spanish conservative leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo and Vox leader Santiago Abascal.
He does not trust either Feijóo or Abascal and has to assume the role of opposition in Spain himself.
At the same time, Argentine President Javier Milei addressed the Spanish political situation during his speech at the Fifth Regional Meeting of Foro Madrid in Santiago, Chile. Milei accused Sánchez and the ruling Spanish Socialist Workers' Party of facilitating uncontrolled migration and eroding Spanish national identity, alleging that official policies encourage citizens to feel ashamed. Within Spain's Congress of Deputies, Sánchez faced parliamentary debate over Ceuta, where coalition allies pointed to the policies of Morocco, Israel, and the United States.
