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Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has tried to position himself as a European rival to President Donald Trump, but his intentions are being questioned by critics.
Sanchez, who is hosting a conference of leftist leaders from around the world in Barcelona this weekend, has rejected Madrid’s increase in NATO spending, pitting Spain against the Trump administration on several key policy issues.
More recently, Spanish politicians have taken an aggressive stance against the US and Israeli military operations against the Iranian regime, and have blocked the US from using its military bases in Spain to refuel aircraft or prepare for military action. He has denounced the campaign as illegal, while remaining silent on the regime’s killing of thousands of protesters and its growing campaign to produce ballistic missiles and acquire nuclear weapons-grade enriched uranium.
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President Donald Trump with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the NATO summit in Brussels, Belgium during his first term in office. (Francois Lenoir/Reuters)
“We are not going to get involved in something that is bad for the world and also contrary to our values and interests, just for fear of someone’s retaliation,” Sanchez said, using the slogan “No to war”, according to an Associated Press report.
On Saturday, Trump took aim at Sanchez’s policies in a Truth Social post, asking: “Has anyone seen what a bad job the country of Spain is doing. Despite contributing almost nothing to NATO and their military defense, their financial numbers are absolutely appalling. Sad to see!!!”
In March, Trump said he had asked Treasury Secretary Scott Besant to “cease all transactions with Spain.”
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Critics charge that Sanchez, already known for his staunch anti-Israel views, has increased his public pronouncements to reduce pressure on him due to a series of corruption scandals involving family members, which he and his supporters have denied.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez delivers a speech to announce that Spain will recognize a Palestinian state in Madrid on May 22, 2024. (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. “President Pedro Sánchez’s stance against President Donald Trump is neither reformed nor based on conviction. It is pure election marketing. He has realized that by confronting the world’s most powerful president and getting Trump to speak about him, he accomplishes two things: First, he establishes himself in the media as the leading figure of the global left and globalism against the new right.”
Negre said Sánchez’s position “also distracts from the corruption scandals that led to the investigation of his wife and his brother and the jailing of people close to them.”
A Madrid judge formally charged Sanchez’s wife, Begona Gomez, with corruption on Monday, setting off a political storm for the prime minister who is already in trouble due to another corruption case involving his brother.
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Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and his wife Begona Gomez attend a speech in Beijing, China, April 13, 2026. (Andres Martínez Casares/Pool via Reuters)
Gomez’s 39-page indictment comes after a two-year investigation, in which he is accused of embezzlement, influence peddling in his position at Madrid’s Complutense University, corruption in business dealings and misappropriation of funds to pursue his personal interests. She has denied all the allegations while her husband says the allegations are an attempt by right-wing parties to weaken their alliance.
The allegations came while the couple were on a state visit to China last week, during which Sanchez said, “I find it very difficult to find other negotiators 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 the anti-corruption group Manos Limpias.
The prime minister’s family scandals also include his brother, David Sanchez, who was implicated in a separate influence-peddling scandal for accepting a special job with a regional government in 2017, just after the Spanish leader became secretary general of Spain’s Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE).
From 2018 to 2024, Sanchez’s government reportedly authorized the export of more than €6 million ($7.2 million) in dual technology equipment to Iran. Critics say that although it is not a large amount, the move would violate UN-approved sanctions and sanctions against Iran. Prominent opposition Spanish politician Santiago Abascal condemned Sánchez in Spain’s Congress and accused him of selling detonators and explosives to Iran.
Spaniards protest against Israel in September 2024. (Marcos del Mazo/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Following the allegations, the Shurat Hadin Israel Law Center on Friday filed a complaint against the Spanish PM at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, claiming Spain aided the ayatollah’s regime by transferring explosives-related technology worth about $1.5 million in 2024 and 2025, despite international sanctions against the regime for support of terrorism.
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In March, Iran’s regime reportedly placed a thank you note with Spain’s Sanchez’s photo on a missile fired against Israel, according to footage of 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 the war in Gaza after Palestinian militant group Hamas carried out the worst attack in the Jewish state’s history, killing 1,195 people and abducting 251 civilians and foreigners in 2023.
Sánchez has repeatedly called Israel a genocidal state, downgraded Spain’s diplomatic ties with Jerusalem, imposed a complete arms embargo and sanctions on the Jewish state, recognized the Palestinian state despite widespread opposition, and, along with Belgium, has received praise from Hamas due to “his clear and courageous stance regarding the Gaza war” since the beginning of the conflict.
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez arrives for the European Union summit in Brussels on March 21, 2024.
Despite still being popular among the left, the Spanish politician has seen a steady decline in popularity over the past few months, with 61% of Spaniards having an unfavorable view of their prime minister, according to a March YouGov poll – his lowest approval rating since he took office in 2018.
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Fox News Digital contacted La Moncloa (the office of the Spanish Prime Minister) and the Foreign Minister of Spain with a request for an interview or official comment regarding Sánchez’s diplomatic positions related to wars in the Middle East, the alleged sale of technology to Iran, the use by US forces of bases built under NATO on Spanish territory, and relations with the White House.
Spanish officials told Fox News Digital, “The Prime Minister was not giving new interviews due to conflicts in his schedule” and that information about the Prime Minister’s positions “can be found in several of his public announcements over the past few days.”
