President Trump's Remarks on Spain's NATO Membership
On October 9, 2025, during a meeting with Finnish President Alexander Stubb at the White House, U.S. President Donald Trump suggested that Spain could face expulsion from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). President Trump criticized Spain for its defense spending, labeling it 'one laggard' among NATO's 32 members. He stated that Spain 'had no excuse' for not increasing its defense budget and remarked, 'Maybe you should throw them out of NATO, frankly.'
NATO's New Defense Spending Targets
The President's comments come in the wake of a significant agreement made at a NATO summit in June 2025 in The Hague. During this summit, alliance leaders endorsed a new defense spending target, committing to invest 5% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) annually in defense by 2035. This new benchmark is divided into 3.5% for core military requirements and an additional 1.5% for defense-related expenditures, such as infrastructure and cybersecurity. This updated target represents a substantial increase from the previous commitment of 2% of GDP, which was established in 2014.
Spain's Defense Spending and Official Stance
Spain has been identified as the only NATO member that has refused to adopt the new 5% GDP defense spending benchmark. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has publicly rejected the target, describing it as 'unreasonable' and 'counterproductive,' and asserting that it is 'incompatible with our welfare state and our world vision.' While Spain's defense spending in 2024 was estimated at approximately 1.24% to 1.28% of GDP, placing it among the lowest in the alliance, NATO estimates indicate that Spain reached the previous 2% GDP target in 2025. Prime Minister Sánchez has stated that Madrid intends to raise its defense budget to 2.1% of GDP and has reportedly secured an exemption from the 5% target through discussions with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
Implications and Alliance Structure
President Trump's remarks underscore his long-standing criticism of NATO members he perceives as underfunding their militaries. However, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's founding document does not include a mechanism for expelling a member state. Membership is based on sovereign consent, and all major decisions within the alliance require consensus among its members. European Union diplomats have expressed concerns that such comments risk 'politicizing NATO solidarity,' particularly at a time of heightened security challenges across Europe. Spanish officials, in turn, have reportedly downplayed the President's statements, characterizing them as 'campaign-style rhetoric.'
5 Comments
Bermudez
Bullying allies helps no one. Diplomacy is key, not threats.
Habibi
The 5% target is ambitious and perhaps unrealistic for some nations like Spain, given their social spending. However, consistently underfunding defense while relying on others is also unsustainable for the alliance.
ZmeeLove
Good! Time for allies to pay their fair share. No more free rides!
Muchacho
Another attempt to destabilize alliances. This weakens Western unity.
Coccinella
Trump's frustration with defense spending is understandable, as all members agreed to targets. Yet, public threats like this could push countries further away instead of fostering a unified front against real threats.