Donald Trump’s criticism of Spain: from a BRIC country to a contribution "very low" from NATO

Chijioke Obinna

Donald Trump's criticism of Spain: from a BRIC country to a contribution "very low" from NATO

Does Donald Trump ignore Spain’s position in the world? Or did you want to place Spain in an inappropriate place for a NATO ally? These are the questions that arise after the answer that the new president of the United States gave to a journalist about what we can expect from NATO countries that make a contribution of less than five percent to the Atlantic Alliance

“I think Spain is far below. And yet, they are from the BRICS. (…) And, if the BRICS want to do that, fine, but we are going to impose at least a 100% tariff on the business they do,” Trump declared.

Thus, Trump described Spain’s contribution in defense and being a BRICS country as meager. But what does it mean to be a BRICS country?

What is a BRICS country?

With the response that Trump offered, the president of the United States, Donald Trump, confused Spain with a member of the BRICS, a multilateral organization that brings together various emerging economies and that has been established as an alternative international space to the G7-, and has promised to impose 100 percent tariffs on that group.

The BRICS acronyms come from their founding countries: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africaalthough it is currently made up of eleven full members, which include Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Iran and Indonesia. It also has several partner countries.

The Government avoids a clash with the Trump Administration

Faced with this mistake by the new American president, committed yesterday on the day he was sworn in, the Government has remained on the sidelines, avoiding confrontation and maintaining that it is “a reliable partner” and that it will do everything possible to continue having a strategic relationship with the United States.

This is the message given by the spokesperson for the Executive, Pilar Alegría, who, in the face of Trump’s mistake, has limited herself to pointing out that “Evidently Spain is not a BRICS, it is not an emerging country” and he said he didn’t know if it was a mix-up or not.

Regarding the threat of raising tariffs, he recalled that in the last decade trade exchanges between the two countries have doubled and has insisted that Spain is the “main” economic engine of the EU, also reiterating the “absolutely clear and firm” commitment to NATO remembering that it is the eighth contributing country of the 32 that make up the alliance.

AND From the right they have taken advantage of Trump’s mistake to attack the Executive, So the Madrid president, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, has indicated that she will be “personally” in charge of demonstrating that Spain is not part of the BRICS countries (association of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa).

Trump dismisses Spanish chef José Andrés as advisor

After coming to power, Trump has begun a review by his team of a thousand appointments made by the previous president, Joe Biden. Among them is the position held by Spanish chef José Andrés as presidential advisor on sports, physical exercise and nutrition, which has been dismissed by Trump.

“Our first day in the White House is not over,” Trump said in X when announcing the dismissal of the famous chef and founder of the NGO World Central Kitchen. The firings of the previous administration’s appointees are because they “are not aligned with our vision of Making America Great Again,” Trump said.

Chijioke Obinna

I've been passionate about storytelling and journalism since my early days growing up in Lagos. With a background in political science and years of experience in investigative reporting, I aim to bring nuanced perspectives to pressing global issues. Outside of writing, I enjoy exploring Nigeria’s vibrant cultural scene and mentoring young aspiring journalists.