Overview
- Trump, who reposted a CBS item Friday, said Spain “was not there for us” after Madrid barred U.S. use of its airspace and the Rota and Morón bases for operations against Iran.
- The Spanish government has stood by its denial of access, and Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares rejected a brief White House claim that Spain had agreed to cooperate.
- His follow-up post Saturday cast Spain’s economy as “absolutely disastrous,” a claim contradicted by fresh IMF forecasts showing among the fastest growth in Europe and by record job figures.
- The latest broadsides landed as Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez hosted a pro-democracy summit in Barcelona with leaders such as Brazil’s Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Mexico’s Claudia Sheinbaum, Colombia’s Gustavo Petro, and South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa.
- The feud builds on March tensions over a floated 5% of GDP NATO defense target that Spain opposed, with one outlet also reporting an uncorroborated threat of U.S. trade retaliation.