Mr. Trump said the US could reduce the number of soldiers stationed in Italy and Spain, after making a similar threat to Germany.
“Maybe I will. Why wouldn’t I?”, US President Donald Trump replied on April 30 when asked if he would consider reducing the number of US soldiers stationed in Italy and Spain.
“Italy doesn’t help us, and Spain is really bad,” the US leader added.
President Trump said the US-led war against Iran has helped the whole world, including Italy, Spain and Germany. He criticized these “so-called allies” for not participating in efforts to “eliminate the Iranian nuclear threat”.
A day earlier, President Trump said the US was “researching and evaluating” the possibility of reducing the number of soldiers stationed in Germany, adding that he would soon announce a decision.
US President Donald Trump spoke at the White House on April 30. Image: AP
According to AFP news agency, there are 36,436 US soldiers stationed in Germany as of December 2025. This number in Italy and Spain is 12,662 and 3,814 soldiers, respectively.
It is unclear how many people the Trump administration is considering withdrawing, but some US media outlets said the number of cuts could be quite large.
President Trump harshly criticized NATO allies for not supporting the campaign launched by the US and Israel against Iran, or making moves to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz. This is a vital route for global oil and gas flows, but has been blocked since the Middle East conflict broke out.
After Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni last month criticized the war on Iran, President Trump suddenly attacked his former close right-wing ally, saying that Ms. Meloni “lacked courage” because she did not dare to resist domestic pressure, nor did she publicly support the US-Israel campaign.
Tensions between Mr. Trump and Madrid have lasted for a long time. The conflict began after President Trump criticized Spain’s stance towards Israel regarding the war between Tel Aviv and the armed group Hamas in the Gaza Strip, before expanding to a disagreement over Madrid’s failure to increase defense spending to meet NATO’s requirements.
US soldiers participate in close combat training at Rota base in Spain in September 2025. Image: US Navy
At the bloc’s summit last year, all members agreed to President Trump’s proposal to increase defense spending to the equivalent of 5% of GDP. The only exception is Spain, when Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced that he would only do things that benefit the country and decided to keep spending levels the same.
President Trump’s administration has repeatedly criticized Spain, threatened to cut trade relations with this country and called for Madrid to be removed from NATO.