The Spanish and US governments held their first high-level meeting yesterday, Tuesday, after Donald Trump returned to the White House on January 20th. Carlos Cuerpo, the Spanish Minister of Economy, visited Scott Bessent, the US Secretary of the Treasury, in Washington just days after Pedro Sánchez met with Xi Jinping in Beijing.
According to the rhetoric of the new US administration, Spain is a problem because it is the NATO country that spends the least on defense, due to the ‘Google tax’ (which France and Italy also apply), and because it appears to be leading the EU’s thesis that it is necessary to get closer to China after Trump’s anti-transatlantic shift. “It would be like cutting one’s own throat,” Bessent remarked upon learning of Sánchez’s approach to Beijing.
Consequently, the press release summarizing the meeting did not include the usual diplomatic formulas referring to “strong ties,” “common interests,” etc.
“The Secretary and the Minister had a frank conversation on issues related to trade between the United States and Spain. During their discussions, Secretary Bessent emphasized the need for greater defense spending by Spain in the context of NATO. The Secretary also reiterated the United States’ continued opposition to the digital services tax applied by Spain and other countries, as well as other non-tariff barriers,” stated the press release issued by the Treasury hours later.
