At the opening of the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, U.S. President Donald Trump said he had ordered Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to immediately halt "all trade" with Spain, La Vanguardia reported on July 8. Speaking alongside NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, Trump heavily criticized Madrid, calling the country a "terrible partner" and a "lost cause" that makes too much money off the United States.

The friction between Washington and Madrid stems primarily from disagreements over defense burden-sharing and recent military operations. Trump's frustration boiled over after Spain's Socialist government refused to commit to NATO's newly proposed defense spending target of 5% of GDP. Compounding this budget dispute, Madrid deeply angered the White House during the conflict with Iran by refusing to grant the United States use of Spanish airspace or its key military installations, Naval Station Rota and Moron Air Base.