US President Donald Trump on Wednesday launched another round of insults at Spain over its Nato participation and reluctance to help American troops in the war against Iran, this time calling the country “a horror show” and “terrible”.
Donald Trump has again voiced his discontent at the Spanish government in an overt and brash way, further cementing the schism between both administrations at a time when many see Pedro Sánchez as the antithesis of the US leader.
“Spain is a horror show, Spain is terrible,” Trump told journalists at the White House while in the company of Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte.
Turning to Rutte, Trump quipped “even from your standpoint”.
“They don’t want to pay anything, they think they’re in for a free ride,” the Republican leader added.
He concluded with the slightly ambiguous statement that “Spain is not a good group”.
Trump’s words come after the Spanish government refused to authorise the use of military bases in its territory for the war against Iran.
Nato’s Secretary General responded that this was an “isolated incident” within the European context , asserting that member states had provided logistical support for the conflict .
“I really want to emphasise this point, between 4,000 and 5,000 US aircraft took off from European air bases,” Rutte stated.
Trump also criticised Italy, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, which like Spain denied logistical support to the US at certain points during the Iran offensive.
“We were let down. We didn’t need help on this at all. We demolished (Iran) literally in the first week but it would have been nice if they would have said, ‘We’d like to help,'” Trump said from the Oval Office.
But it was Spain which one again stood as the country really in the crosshairs of the US leader.
READ ALSO: Trump says Spain should be ‘punished’ in second threat over Nato spend
He’s previously said Spain is “not a team player”, “a loser”, “absolutely horrible”, “an absolute disaster” and “shameful”, while at times drawing a line between the “terrible leadership” of Pedro Sánchez and the Spanish populace, which he said was “fantastic”.
Most of these remarks have come as a result of the Spanish premier’s stance on foreign policy – from Palestine to Iran – as well as the Socialists’ refusal to increase defence spending to 5 percent of the country’s GDP.
Trump has also threatened to sever trade relations with Spain for not being willing to cede the Rota and Morón military bases in Andalusia for their potential use in the context of the military offensive against Iran.
READ ALSO: What would be the impact on Spain if the US military left?
Pedro Sánchez and Donald Trump are widely viewed as political and ideological polar opposites, acting as key global foils for one another.
The Spanish prime minister has effectively positioned himself as a leading European and global progressive voice in open opposition to the American president.
READ ALSO: Sánchez meets US ambassador to Spain amid tensions with Trump
