On January 20, 2025, Donald Trump was sworn in as president for a second term. Mere hours after taking office, he signed several executive orders without congressional approval, sparking controversy. Among them, he withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Agreement and the World Health Organization, declaring he would overturn “80 destructive executive actions” from the prior administration.

Trump also declared a national energy emergency, promising to fill strategic oil reserves and export U.S. energy globally, calling it “liquid gold.” He further declared illegal immigration a national emergency, planning to send troops to the US-Mexico border and restrict asylum policies.

On foreign affairs, Trump made a critical blunder. When asked about NATO countries failing to meet defense spending targets, he mistakenly labeled Spain as a BRICS nation—a group of developing countries including Brazil, Russia, India, China, and others, but not Spain. He proposed a 100% tariff on U.S.-Spain trade, potentially disrupting long-standing free trade.

Spanish government spokesperson Pilar Alegría clarified, “Spain is not in BRICS,” responding to Trump’s inaccurate statement.