Spain stands up to Trump
The Global Story
BBC
3.8 • 668 Ratings
🗓️ 9 March 2026
⏱️ 28 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
As European leaders have struggled to find a unified response to the US-Israel war in Iran, Pedro Sanchez has stood out as a voice of dissent. He said in a televised address last week: “The position of the government of Spain can be summarised in three words: no to war.”
The Spanish Prime Minister and US President have butted heads on many issues; the war in Gaza, immigration and defence spending among them, but in the past week their relationship got even more fiery, with Donald Trump threatening to cut off all trade with Spain. What makes Sanchez willing to stand up to Trump? And will his gamble be worth it?
Guy Hedgecoe, a reporter for the BBC based in Madrid, joins us to discuss.
Producers: Hannah Moore, Valerio Esposito and Chris Benderev Executive producer: Bridget Harney Mix: Travis Evans Senior news editor: China Collins
Photo: Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez delivers a speech during closing ceremony of the 'Spain, Vanguard in the Green Industry', in Madrid, Spain, 08 September 2025. Credit: Daniel Gonzalez/EPA/Shutterstock.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | When some world leaders try to navigate President Trump, they flatter, they praise, they avoid |
| 0:11.5 | picking a fight. But Pedro Sanchez, he seems to relish the fight. The other day, the Prime |
| 0:17.8 | Minister of Spain gave a 10-minute televised address to publicly |
| 0:22.0 | rebut the President of the United States, who threatened to cut off trade to Spain because |
| 0:27.2 | its government doesn't support the war in Iran. |
| 0:31.3 | We're going to be complices of something that is malo for the world and that |
| 0:35.4 | is contrary to our values and interests. Sanchez was clear in his message that Spain repudiates the regime of Iran, but his stance on the war he said can be summed up in three words. No to war. The position of the government of Spain is resumed in four words, no, a war. This public feud over Iran is just the latest flashpoint in an already tumultuous relationship between the two men who disagree on everything from Gaza to immigration to defense spending. From the BBC, I'm Asma Khalid in Washington, D.C. |
| 1:11.3 | And I'm Tristan Redmond in London. |
| 1:13.6 | And today on the global story, |
| 1:15.4 | how did the Prime Minister of Spain become the face of the Trump resistance in Europe? |
| 1:27.0 | I'm Guy Hedgeko. I'm a journalist based in Madrid, in Spain, and I cover Spain for the BBC. |
| 1:33.6 | Well, Guy, we're here today to talk about the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, |
| 1:39.0 | and what is turning into an animated relationship that he's having with Donald Trump. Now, Sanchez is a socialist, |
| 1:47.6 | so he's politically opposed, you might say, to Donald Trump. But since the United States and |
| 1:53.9 | Israel began their joint war on Iran, at the start of this month, a war that Sanchez has made |
| 2:00.1 | clear he doesn't support, the two have been ramping up month, a war that Sanchez has made clear he doesn't support. |
| 2:01.9 | The two have been ramping up something of a war of words. |
| 2:05.8 | Can you explain to us what's been going on? |
| 2:08.7 | Well, immediately after the United States began its offensive against Iran, |
| 2:14.8 | Spain, the Spanish government of Pedro Sanchez, expressed its opposition to it. |
| 2:20.4 | In contra of an intervention military, unjustified, |
| 2:23.5 | perfor-de-the-legality international. |
... |
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