U.S. president Donald Trump has apparently confused Spain for a member of the BRICS bloc of developing economies, causing some head-scratching and jitters over possible tariffs in Madrid.

NEW US President Donald Trump asked if NATO ally Spain was a BRICS nation when quizzed on the country’s low defence spending. The gaff was embarrassing

After US President Donald Trump confused Spain with a member of the BRICS bloc, a spokesperson for the Spanish government responded, saying she was unsure why Trump made the comment. Trump erroneously said Spain was in BRICS when a journalist asked him on Monday about NATO countries like Spain which don't meet the NATO minimum of spending 2 percent of economic output on defense.

President Donald Trump on Monday mistakenly identified Spain as a member of the BRICS bloc, a group comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The comment caused confusion in Madrid and raised concerns about potential tariffs.

Spain has a meagre contribution to NATO and as a consequence, it could face 100% tariffs from the US, according to President Donald Trump, who unfortunately confused it with a BRICS country. When a journalist asked what would happen to NATO countries that do not meet the 2% spending target, Trump replied that Spain's contribution is "very low."

After being sworn in as the 47th US President, Donald Trump met reporters in the Oval Office while signing executive orders where he made this erroneous claim.

The new president criticizes Spain's contribution to NATO as still "very low". The new President of the United States, Donald Trump, is very clear that Spain's defense spending remains "low, very low,

Donald Trump has officially begun his presidency in the United States. After his inauguration, the politician signed several urgent executive orders. During this task, Trump made a significant error.