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Trump brands Spain as ‘BRICS country’
(MENAFN) During a press briefing at the White House on Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump mistakenly referred to Spain as a member of the BRICS economic bloc. The error occurred when Trump was responding to a question about NATO allies' defense spending, specifically mentioning Spain’s allocation of less than 2% of its GDP to defense.
A reporter had raised concerns about NATO countries that contribute the least to defense spending, with Spain specifically highlighted. In response, Trump asked, “Are they a BRICS nation?” when discussing Spain’s defense spending. The reporter appeared confused, prompting Trump to repeat the claim, adding, “They’re a BRICS nation, Spain. You know what a BRICS nation is? You’ll figure it out.” He also commented on imposing tariffs on BRICS countries' business dealings with the U.S.
While Spain is a member of the European Union (EU) and NATO, it is not part of the BRICS group, which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, as well as other nations such as Egypt, Ethiopia, and Iran. Spain currently spends 1.28% of its GDP on defense, the lowest among NATO members, with plans to reach the NATO target of 2% by 2029. Trump has previously threatened to reconsider NATO commitments if allies fail to meet defense spending targets.
Meanwhile, BRICS countries have been discussing reducing reliance on the U.S. dollar in international trade, especially after Western sanctions were imposed on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. Despite this, Russia’s Kremlin has stated that BRICS is not targeting the dollar but aiming to expand economic cooperation.
A reporter had raised concerns about NATO countries that contribute the least to defense spending, with Spain specifically highlighted. In response, Trump asked, “Are they a BRICS nation?” when discussing Spain’s defense spending. The reporter appeared confused, prompting Trump to repeat the claim, adding, “They’re a BRICS nation, Spain. You know what a BRICS nation is? You’ll figure it out.” He also commented on imposing tariffs on BRICS countries' business dealings with the U.S.
While Spain is a member of the European Union (EU) and NATO, it is not part of the BRICS group, which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, as well as other nations such as Egypt, Ethiopia, and Iran. Spain currently spends 1.28% of its GDP on defense, the lowest among NATO members, with plans to reach the NATO target of 2% by 2029. Trump has previously threatened to reconsider NATO commitments if allies fail to meet defense spending targets.
Meanwhile, BRICS countries have been discussing reducing reliance on the U.S. dollar in international trade, especially after Western sanctions were imposed on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. Despite this, Russia’s Kremlin has stated that BRICS is not targeting the dollar but aiming to expand economic cooperation.
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