US president Donald Trump has warned Spain will become a ‘ruined country’ amid an ongoing migrant crisis in Ceuta.
Speaking to GB News on Thursday, Trump described the influx of 72,000 migrants into the enclave this summer as a ‘bum rush’.
He also berated Madrid over its NATO spending, accusing Spain’s socialist-led government of failing to pay what it should towards the military alliance.
He said: “Spain will be a ruined country, and I’ve had my own problems with Spain because Spain doesn’t behave very well with respect to NATO.
“They don’t pay what they should be paying. It’s very sad.”
Trump added that the UK was grappling with its own migrant crisis, but that Spain’s ‘problem’ was more ‘visible’.
“Hopefully other countries like the UK – where you have your own problems – but it’s not as visible as that,” he said.
“You know, you don’t have thousands of people just bum rushing your country. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
The comments come as tensions mount in Spain over the government’s handling of a growing humanitarian crisis in its North African enclave of Ceuta.
Thousands of migrants crossed from Morocco into the small town on July 30 and 31, with around 5,000 still remaining in Ceuta after the rest voluntarily returned across the border.
Ceuta authorities have warned that pressure is piling on the local administration as migrants sleep rough in the town’s streets or camp on beaches, relying partly on the Red Cross for food.
Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez has blamed the surge on online disinformation spread by mafias and human smugglers, clearing Morocco of any involvement on Monday.
However, a leaked police report made public on Wednesday suggested Moroccan officers actively directed migrants into Ceuta during the mass influx, contradicting the PM’s version of events.
A political firestorm has since exploded in Spain, with the government’s opposition calling on Sanchez and his ministers to resign and branding them ‘traitors’.
Separately, tensions between the US and Spain have been mounting since Madrid refused last year to increase its defence spending to 5% by 2035.
Sanchez’s heel-digging incensed Trump, who repeatedly singled out Spain as a ‘terrible’ ally.
Madrid insists it has nevertheless dramatically increased its defence spending, reaching the current NATO benchmark of 2% of GDP in 2026.
Sanchez has stressed that Spain remains fully committed to the alliance while defending its right to decide how much it can spend.
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