United States President Donald Trump has once again lashed out at Spain, but he did so with an incorrect statement. Coinciding with the celebration of the Meeting for the Defense of Democracy being held in Barcelona, Trump stated on his social network Truth Social that it is “a shame” to see Spain due to its “disastrous economic figures.” The country’s macroeconomic reality clashes with that accusation.
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Trump’s literal comment was this: “Has anyone noticed how badly Spain is doing? Their economic figures, despite contributing practically nothing to NATO or its military defense, are absolutely disastrous. It’s a great shame to see!” The post was published early Saturday afternoon.
Indeed, Spain is the economy that, according to the International Monetary Fund this week, will lead GDP growth among EU countries for five consecutive years. Growth to which must be added a labor market at its peak, with more than 22 million affiliations.
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According to INE National Accounts data, Spain’s GDP grew by 2.8% in 2025. The U.S. grew by 2.1%. Spanish household consumption advanced by 3.3% over the past year, and investment also grew at high rates. A notable fact is that non-tourism service exports increased by 11.1% in 2025.
This economic reality does not prevent the Spanish economy from still having very significant issues to resolve, such as improving productivity or the housing situation. However, these problems do not align with Trump’s accusation.
