Source: Fortune.com
Summary
President Donald Trump threatened to cut off all trade with Spain due to its lack of support for the US and Israeli attacks on Iran and its resistance to increase NATO spending. Trump made the comments during an Oval Office meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Spain’s Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said the country would not allow the US to use its bases in southern Spain for strikes not covered by the UN charter. The EU expects the US to honor a trade deal struck last year, while Trump maintains that the Supreme Court allows him to impose full-scale embargoes on other nations.
Our Reading
The numbers tell one story.
Trump’s threat to cut off trade with Spain is the latest instance of the president wielding tariffs or trade embargoes as a punishment. The EU expects the US to honor a trade deal struck last year, but Trump claims the Supreme Court allows him to impose full-scale embargoes. Spain’s decision to back out of NATO’s 5% defense spending target has been a point of contention with Trump. The president turned to US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent for his opinion on the president’s embargo authority, who agreed that the Supreme Court reaffirmed Trump’s ability to implement an embargo.
The strategy enters a familiar phase: Trump’s use of trade as a weapon against countries that don’t align with his policies.
Author: Evan Null
