Overview

• Speaking Thursday, Trump labeled Spain a laggard and said it should maybe be expelled from the alliance.
• In June, all 32 NATO members agreed to lift defense spending to 3.5% of GDP plus 1.5% for defense-related infrastructure over the next decade.
• Spain endorsed the agreement, but Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez later said the country would not reach the new benchmark.
• Before the latest remarks, Trump had threatened additional tariffs on Spanish products in response to Madrid's stance.
• Reports characterize the expulsion talk as pressure rather than a formal NATO process, with no removal mechanism initiated.