In the midst of the Iberian celebration, Donald Trump assured this Sunday that there are no longer "tensions" with Spain, after witnessing the victory over Argentina in the final of the 2026 World Cup played at the MetLife stadium in New Jersey, in a gesture that contrasted with the recent diplomatic disagreements between both governments.

“I spoke to Spain and congratulated them for having a great team,” Trump declared before boarding Air Force One bound for Washington. When asked about the bilateral relationship, he responded: "No, I don't have tensions. I don't have tensions with anyone." The president avoided specifying whether he had a direct conversation with the President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, who attended the meeting from the box along with Kings Felipe VI and Letizia.

After the final whistle, Trump led the awards ceremony, presented the medals to the players from Spain and Argentina and awarded the champion trophy to the Spanish captain, Rodri, in an image that symbolized an unexpected political détente during the largest sporting showcase in the world.

The statements come just a few days after one of the harshest moments in the relationship between Washington and Madrid. During the NATO summit held in Ankara, Trump described Spain as a “terrible” partner for refusing to support the new objective of allocating 5% of GDP to defense spending and for the differences that arose over the conflict with Iran, even threatening to suspend bilateral trade.

For his part, Sánchez had insisted after the Atlantic summit that Spain maintains "the best of will and the greatest of our commitments to have the best relationship with the United States", while defending Madrid's sovereign decisions in matters of defense and foreign policy.

The relationship between both governments went through several episodes of friction since the beginning of Trump's second term. In addition to differences over increased military spending in NATO, Washington publicly criticized Spain's refusal to support some of its foreign policy positions, including the strategy toward Iran and the posture toward China.

Trump even warned of possible trade retaliation against Madrid and described Spain as a “difficult” ally within the Atlantic Alliance, while Pedro Sánchez's government defended its autonomy to set its defense policy and reiterated that it would comply with the commitments made to NATO without giving up its budgetary priorities.

Thus, the World Cup thus offered a stage to lower the tone between both leaders. Although it did not go beyond a formal meeting, the coincidence in the box and Trump's conciliatory message contrasted with the frictions accumulated since his return to the White House in January 2025, marked by differences over military spending within NATO and other international political issues.