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Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, is carving out a distinct role for himself on the European stage as a counterbalance to U.S. President Donald Trump. However, this positioning has not come without its share of skepticism and critique from various quarters.
In an effort to consolidate his stance, Sanchez recently hosted a gathering of leftist leaders from across the globe in Barcelona. During this conference, he firmly rejected any increase in Spain’s NATO spending, setting his country apart from several of Trump’s policies. His dissent is not limited to budgetary allocations; Sanchez has also moved Spain into opposition against the Trump administration on an array of significant issues.
One of Sanchez’s most notable actions was his refusal to allow the United States to use Spanish military bases for refueling or staging operations related to the military campaign against Iran. He criticized the U.S. and Israeli military actions as illegal, a stance that has drawn attention because of his silence on Iran’s repression of protesters and its pursuit of ballistic missiles and nuclear capabilities.
Amidst rising tensions following the onset of conflict with Iran, Sanchez made his position clear: “We are not going to be complicit in something that is bad for the world and is also contrary to our values and interests, just out of fear of reprisals from someone,” he declared, reinforcing his message with the slogan “No to the war,” as reported by the Associated Press.
This bold stance at a NATO summit, where Sanchez was seen alongside President Trump and Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, underscores his intent to craft an independent foreign policy for Spain, one that resonates with his ideological commitments and national values.
On Saturday, Trump took aim at Sanchez’s policies in a Truth Social post, asking: “Has anybody looked at how badly the country of Spain is doing. Their financial numbers, despite contributing almost nothing to NATO and their military defense, are absolutely horrendous. Sad to watch!!!”
In March, Trump said he had asked Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent “to cut off all dealings with Spain.”
Critics charge that Sanchez, already well known for his fervently anti-Israel views, has increased his public pronouncements to take pressure off him due to a series of corruption scandals involving family members, something he and his supporters have denied.
TOPSHOT – Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez delivers a speech to announce that Spain will recognise Palestine as a state on May 28, at the Congress of Deputies in Madrid on May 22, 2024. “Next Tuesday, May 28, Spain’s cabinet will approve the recognition of the Palestinian state,” he said, adding that his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu was putting the two state solution in “danger” with his policy of “pain and destruction” in the Gaza Strip. (Thomas Coex/AFP via Getty Images)
Javier Negre, a conservative Spanish journalist and owner of La Derecha Diario and UHN Plus told Fox News Digital. “The stance of President Pedro Sánchez against President Donald Trump is neither improvised nor based on convictions. It is purely electoral marketing. He has realized that by confronting the most powerful president in the world and getting Trump to speak about him, he achieves two things: first, he positions himself in the media as the leading figure of the global left and globalism against the new right.”
Negre said Sánchez’s position also “diverts attention from the corruption scandals that have led to investigations involving his wife and his brother and to the imprisonment of people close to him
A Madrid judge formally charged Sanchez’s wife, Begona Gomez, with corruption Monday, creating a political storm for the PM, who’s already embattled in another corruption case involving his brother.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez (R), and his wife Begona Gomez, attend a speech in Beijing, China, 13 April, 2026. (Andres Martinez Casares/Pool via Reuters)
Gómez’s 39-page indictment follows a two-year investigation charging her with embezzlement, influence peddling in her position at Madrid’s Complutense University, corruption in business dealings and misappropriation of funds to advance her personal interests. She has denied all charges while her husband says the allegations are an attempt by right-wing parties to undermine his coalition.
The charges came as the couple was on a state visit to China last week, during which Sanchez said, “I find it very difficult to find other interlocutors, beyond China, who can resolve this situation in Iran and the Strait of Hormuz,” the Associated Press reported.
The complaint against Gomez was brought forward by anti-corruption group Manos Limpias.
The prime minister’s family scandals also encompass his brother, David Sanchez, who was implicated in a separate influence-peddling scandal for accepting a bespoke job with a regional government in 2017, right after the Spanish leader became the secretary-general of Spain’s Socialist Workers Party (PSOE).
From 2018 to 2024, Sanchez’s government reportedly authorized exports of over €6 million ($7.2 million) in dual technology equipment to Iran. While not a significant sum, the move, critics say, would contravene U.N.-approved sanctions and embargoes against Iran. Leading opposition Spanish politician Santiago Abascal denounced Sanchez in Spain’s Congress, accusing him of selling detonators and explosives to Iran.
Spaniards protesting against Israel. Unions have called for a general strike day in solidarity with the Palestinians and Lebanon demanding the Spanish government break relations with Israel. Sept. 2024. (Marcos del Mazo/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Following the accusations, Shurat Hadin Israel Law Center filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court in the Hague against the Spanish PM on Friday, claiming Spain assisted the Ayatollah’s regime by transferring tech related to explosives at the tune of around $1.5 million in 2024 and 2025 despite international sanctions against the regime for the support of terrorism.
In March, Iran’s regime reportedly plastered a thank-you note with a picture of Spain’s Sanchez to a missile fired against Israel, according to footage from Iran-controlled Press TV obtained by the Middle East Media and Research Institute (MEMRI.)
The Spanish leader has also faced criticism for his anti-Israel views and its war in Gaza after the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas carried out the worst attack in the history of the Jewish state, killing 1,195 people and kidnapping 251 nationals and foreigners in 2023.
Sanchez has repeatedly called Israel a genocidal state, downgraded Spain’s diplomatic relations with Jerusalem, imposed a total arms embargo and sanctions on the Jewish state, recognized a Palestinian state, despite wide opposition, and along with Belgium, has received praise from Hamas due to his “clear and bold stance regarding the Gaza war” since the onset of the conflict.
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez arrives for a EU Summit in Brussels, Thursday, March 21, 2024. European Union leaders are gathering to consider new ways to help boost arms and ammunition production for Ukraine. Leaders will also discuss in Thursday’s summit the war in Gaza amid deep concern about Israeli plans to launch a ground offensive in the city of Rafah.
While still popular among the left, the Spanish politician has seen a steady decline in his popularity over the past few months, with 61% of Spaniards holding an unfavorable view of their prime minister, according to a YouGov poll from March — his lowest approval ratings since assuming office in 2018.
Fox News Digital reached out to La Moncloa (the Spanish Prime Minister’s office) and to Spain’s foreign minister with a request for an interview or official comment regarding Sanchez’s diplomatic positions relating to the wars in the Middle East, the alleged sales of technology to Iran, the use by American forces of bases built under NATO in Spanish territory, and relations with the White House.
Spanish authorities told Fox News Digital, “the prime minister was not giving new interviews due to conflicts in his schedule” and that information regarding the prime minister’s positions “could be found in his many public declarations over the past few days.”