‘Bro that’s a sovereign country’: Donald Trump’s reaction to Spain refusing to grant access to their bases is ‘we could’ if ‘we want’
It has now become very clear to the American people that Donald Trump will go to any lengths to engage in a blatant display of power. In another example of this behaviour, Trump, after allying with Benjamin Netanyahu, launched an attack on Iran on February 28, 2026, and overthrew its regime, killing the country’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei.
Trump’s actions in Iran have mostly been criticised by Americans, and in recent days, leaders of other countries have also condemned them. Among them is Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who, according to an article published by The Times on March 4, 2026, said in a televised address, “This is how humanity’s great disasters start … You cannot play Russian roulette with the destiny of millions.” The article also mentioned that Spain had blocked US aircraft from accessing American bases at Morón de la Frontera and Rota in southern Spain for use in the US and Israel’s attack on Iran.
Trump believes he has the free will to use Spain’s bases
Donald Trump is unhappy with the pushback he is receiving from Spain over the Iran conflict. During a recent press conference at the White House, videos of which have become popular on social media platforms including X (formerly Twitter), Trump discussed Spain’s refusal to allow American aircraft on its soil:
He didn’t stop there, he also claimed that Spain had nothing that the US needed besides “great people.” Additionally, he stated that while the people of Spain were great, their leadership was corrupt. Irony just did a somersault here!
Trump wants to “cut off all trade” with Spain
While discussing Spain during his recent press conference and criticising its leadership, Trump said he had spoken with US Secretary of the Treasury, Scott Bessent, about severing all dealings with Spain. Explaining his initial reason for his decision, he said, “First of all, it started when every European nation at my request paid 5%, which they should be doing, and everybody was enthusiastic about it. Germany, everybody, and Spain didn’t do it.”
Later in his address, Trump doubled down on his stance on cutting economic ties with Spain, saying, “They were the only country…in NATO, would not agree to go up to 5%. I don’t think they agreed to go up to anything. They wanted to keep it at 2%, and they don’t pay the 2%. so we’re going to cut off all trade with Spain. We don’t want anything to do with Spain.” For those unsure of the context, Trump here is referring to Spain’s decision in June 2025 to opt out of the NATO requirement that member states spend 5 per cent of their GDP on defence by 2035.
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