What did Donald Trump do today?
He gave up trying to bully Spain and just lied about having bullied Spain.
On Monday, Spain denied the United States permission to use joint bases inside its territory as part of the attacks on Iran. In response, Trump blustered about cutting off all trade with Spain, saying "We’re going to cut off all trade with Spain. We don’t want anything to do with Spain."
Trump also claimed that he would simply use Spanish bases without Spain's permission: "We could use their base if we want. We could just fly in and use it. Nobody’s going to tell us not to use it, but we don’t have to."
In reality, Spain did tell Trump no, and its president, Pedro Sanchéz, forcefully repeated his refusal in a speech today. In practical terms, forcing the issue would mean declaring war on Spain, something that might be even more unpopular with Americans than a war with Iran.
The trade embargo threat is equally empty: Spain is part of the European Union, which immediately warned Trump that it would respond as though he'd embargoed the entire EU. (Spain is the United States' 22nd biggest trading partner, but the whole EU including Spain is by far the largest single trading bloc it does business with.)
Today, as Spain's president Trump tried a new tactic: he stopped making empty threats and simply insisted that the threats had already worked. Trump's press secretary Karolina Leavitt announced today that Spain's government had changed its mind and had "agreed to cooperate with the U.S. military."
Spain's foreign minister, José Manuel Albares, immediately denounced that as a lie. "The Spanish government’s position on the war in the Middle East, the bombings in Iran, and the use of our bases has not changed one iota. Our ‘no to war’ stance remains clear and unequivocal." He added, "She may be the White House press secretary, but I’m the foreign minister of Spain and I’m telling her that our position hasn’t changed at all."
Why does this matter?
- Hoping people won't notice that your tough talk didn't work only makes you look even weaker.
- The United States cannot afford a president this detached from reality in wartime or peacetime.