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.
The U.S. president said to his Finnish counterpart: “Well, we had to do it, and you were great about it. Spain has not been. Spain is the one that didn’t do it. And so, I think you people are going to have to start speaking to Spain. The only one that didn’t do it, the only NATO country that didn’t do it is Spain, and you’ll figure what that’s all about, right?”…