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.

BRICS has emerged as a significant international force since 2009 when it was established at a summit in Russia. What began as a five-member group en

Donald Trump had a perfect opportunity to flaunt his purported “genius” brain and dealmaking prowess during a Monday press conference. And it didn’t go well.

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.

Newly sworn-in US President Donald Trump is already making waves in the news with his gaffes and this time it was directed at Spain.

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.

US President Trump mistakenly identified Spain as part of the BRICS nations, causing concerns about potential tariffs. While Spain is committed to NATO, Trump's error and tariff threats against BRICS led to political jitters in Madrid.

At this pace, the newly inaugurated Republican president should be able to alienate just about every other country on the planet by, say, mid-summer.

Spain is a "reliable partner" in NATO, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Wednesday, after U.S. President Donald Trump criticised Madrid for falling short on its financial contributions to the defence alliance.

During a press briefing at the White House on Monday, U.S. President Donald trump mistakenly referred to Spain as a member of the BRICS economic bloc. The error occurred when Trump was responding to a question about NATO allies' defense spending,

Spain is not in BRICS, whose initials stand for Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Spain is a member of NATO, along with the U.S., and of the European Union. Trump erroneously said ...

This growth raises essential questions about whether Brics will challenge the leadership of traditional powers such as the US, UK and the European Union. But analysts are also questioning how united the bloc really is and whether a perceived lack of unity constitutes an obstacle to the bloc’s expansion.