While other European government leaders struggle with their response to the American-Israeli war against Iran, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez passionately cast himself this week as the continent’s anti-Trump.
The social democrat calls the escalation of violence in the Gulf region “a disaster” and “playing Russian roulette with millions of lives.” His left-wing coalition government is banning American fighters from two bases in Andalusia. He takes it for granted that Trump is therefore threatening a ‘trade embargo’. “Our position can be summarized in four words: no to the war,” Sánchez said on Wednesday.
With that choice of words, the Prime Minister, who has reigned since 2018, deliberately tapped into a major social trauma in Spanish society. No a la guerra was the slogan with which Spaniards took to the streets en masse in 2003 against the controversial American-British invasion of Iraq. In the face of this broad social resistance, then right-wing Prime Minister José María Aznar joined the US and UK, only to see Madrid hit by bloody Al-Qaeda attacks in retaliation a year later.
We must be coherent and continue to defend the same values that we defend when we talk about Ukraine, Gaza, Venezuela or Greenland
In a TV speech Sánchez harked back to how “another American administration plunged us into a war in the Middle East 23 years ago.” To then list the negative consequences of that invasion: “A drastic increase in jihadist terror, a refugee crisis in the eastern Mediterranean, higher energy prices and rising costs of living.”
But above all, Sánchez said, Europe will lose credibility on other issues if it does not speak out more firmly now. “We must be coherent and continue to defend the same values that we defend when we talk about Ukraine, Gaza, Venezuela or Greenland.”
Previous conflicts with Trump
Sánchez often seeks confrontation with Trump or his closest allies. For example, at the NATO summit in The Hague last year, he was the only head of government who refused to embrace the new 5 percent standard. For more than two years, his government has been outspokenly critical of Israel’s punitive campaign in Gaza. Sánchez has already traveled to Beijing three times in two years, which makes him too pro-China in the eyes of Washington. His plan to only allow social media from the age of 16 was fiercely criticized by Elon Musk. And earlier this year he wrote one opinion piece The New York Times in which he explained why Spain continues to welcome immigrants while elsewhere they are “cruelly” hunted down.
The day after Madrid refused its planes on Monday, Trump complained about the southern European country. “Spain has been a terrible ally,” he said on Tuesday during a press moment on the sidelines of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s visit to the White House. “We are going to stop all trade with Spain. We don’t want anything to do with Spain anymore.”
Many Spanish media noted that Merz did not stand up for his fellow EU member state in the Oval Office. On the contrary, the Christian Democrat pointed out to Trump that Spain is also refusing to meet the increased NATO standard. Hours later, Merz defended himself that he had explained to Trump privately that the EU is one bloc. “I told him very clearly: you cannot conclude a stand-alone treaty with Germany or with the whole of Europe, but not with Spain.” French President Emmanuel Macron and EU President António Costa also backed Madrid.
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Vulnerable due to American LNG
Because Spain is part of the single European market, it is difficult for the US to impose separate trade sanctions. Still, Trump said on Tuesday that he is having his Treasury Secretary investigate how “an embargo” can be imposed. If Trump manages to find a way to halt mutual trade, this would damage the American economy more: the US has a trade surplus with Spain.
One possible way Trump could hurt the eurozone’s third-largest economy is to throttle supplies of liquefied natural gas (LNG). Last year, Spain sourced about a third of its LNG from the US, making it a crucial part of its energy mix. Although many of the delivery agreements for the coming weeks and months have already been determined, Trump may try to prevent exports. Since European gas prices are already rising due to the unrest in the Gulf, this could significantly increase energy bills in Spain.
Pedro Sánchez last summer during a visit to Uruguay.
Photo Santiago Mazzarovich/AFP
It is not only right-wing opponents who accuse Sánchez of recklessness. Also the centre-left, usually pro-government newspaper El Pais stated in a comment that “Sánchez must resist the temptation to dig in and use the broad animosity that exists in Spanish society towards Trump for his own popularity.” The conservative newspaper ABC thought that Sánchez “has received his banner” and must now back down.
On the right, there is a suspicion that the prime minister wants to give his left-wing coalition new impetus after several major regional electoral defeats. Spain must hold elections again in the spring of 2027 at the latest, but if he rises in the polls thanks to his feud with the hated Trump, Sánchez could bring this forward to the summer, it is a speculation. Opposition leader Albert Núñez Feijóo of the right-wing People’s Party (PP) must therefore balance. On the one hand, he accused Sánchez of party political motives, and on the other hand, he called on Trump to “respect” Spain.
If punitive measures are to be taken that will hit Spaniards in the pockets, it will become clear how high Sánchez wants to continue to escalate his conflict with Trump. On Wednesday he was firm about his opposition. “What is really naive is thinking that following along blindly and submissively is a form of leadership.”
