
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference following the 2025 NATO Summit in The Hague, Netherlands, on June 25, 2025. Omar Havana/Getty Images
President Donald Trump suggested on Oct. 9 that Spain could be thrown out of NATO after Madrid declined to commit to boosting defense spending to 5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP).
Trump made the remarks during an Oval Office meeting with the leader of the defense alliance’s second-newest member, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, where the world leaders discussed NATO’s almost-universal pledge to increase defense expenditure.

