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Trump calls Spain a 'ruined country' over Ceuta migrant crisis

Former US president criticises Spain's NATO spending and border control in GB News interview.

AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Published
Trump calls Spain a 'ruined country' over Ceuta migrant crisis

What this story says

  • Donald Trump stated Spain will be a 'ruined country' because of the migrant crisis in Ceuta.
  • Over 70,000 migrants entered Ceuta on July 30 and 31, according to reports.
  • Trump criticised Spain's defence spending and its behaviour within NATO.
  • The former US president made these remarks in an interview with GB News.

Who covered it

Left 20%(5)Centre 20%(5)Right 60%(15)

Percentages are shares of the 25 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 49 of the 74 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .

Trust

42/100

Craft

57/100

Hype

68/100

74 sources · methodology

Thin on the left so far

Only 5 of the 25 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated left.

This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.

Former US President Donald Trump has stated that Spain will become a 'ruined country' due to the migrant crisis in Ceuta. He also criticised the country's defence spending and its role within NATO, according to reports.

Trump made these statements in an interview with GB News, broadcast on 3 September 2026. He said that over 70,000 migrants entered Ceuta on July 30 and 31. Trump described the situation as 'sad to see' and stated he had 'never seen anything like it'.

Disagreement on migrant numbers

While Infobae reported over 70,000 migrants entered Ceuta on July 30 and 31, OKDIARIO stated the figure was 80,000 illegal immigrants. Other reports did not specify a number.

What the coverage left out

None of the right-rated digests mention the specific dates of July 30 and 31 for the migrant arrivals in Ceuta, a detail included in the left-rated Infobae full report and several centre and unrated digests.

Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 3 times, most recently on 4 Sept 2026, 15:00, and will add the sides that appear.

How each side covered it

Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.

Left

5 rated outlets

  • Left-rated reports led on Trump's criticism of Spain's handling of the Ceuta migrant crisis and his prediction that the country would be 'ruined'. Infobae, the only full report in this category, quoted Trump stating, 'Spain will be a ruined country.' These reports also highlighted Trump's criticism of Spain's defence spending and its behaviour within NATO. Infobae also included details of past disagreements between Trump and the Spanish government over defence contributions.

Centre

5 rated outlets

  • Centre-rated reports focused on Trump's statement that Spain would be a 'ruined country' and his description of the events in Ceuta as 'sad to see'. El Periódico and Diario de Cádiz both quoted Trump saying, 'I've never seen anything like it.' These reports also mentioned Trump's criticism of Spain's NATO contributions. El Confidencial noted Trump's criticism of Pedro Sánchez's defence spending.

Right

15 rated outlets

  • Right-rated reports highlighted Trump's warning that Spain would be a 'ruined country' due to the migrant crisis in Ceuta. Several reports, including Times of India and India Today, mentioned Trump's renewed attack over NATO spending. OKDIARIO stated that Trump called Spain a 'broken country' and described the 'invasion of Ceuta' as 'very sad to see'. Voz.us noted Trump charged the 'socialist government of Spanish Pedro Sánchez'.

Questions about this coverage

How did the left and right cover Trump calls Spain a 'ruined country' over Ceuta migrant crisis?
Of the 25 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 20% are rated left, 20% are rated centre, 60% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 74. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
Is Trump calls Spain a 'ruined country' over Ceuta migrant crisis left or right?
Neither side dominates it. Of the 25 rated outlets on this story, 20% are rated left, 20% are rated centre, 60% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
Is the coverage of Trump calls Spain a 'ruined country' over Ceuta migrant crisis biased?
Trump calls Spain a 'ruined country' over Ceuta migrant crisis is one event reported by 74 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
Which side is not reporting Trump calls Spain a 'ruined country' over Ceuta migrant crisis?
When we first saw this story, outlets rated left had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
Which outlets covered Trump calls Spain a 'ruined country' over Ceuta migrant crisis?
74 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
What did Donald Trump say about Spain and the Ceuta migrant crisis?
Donald Trump stated that Spain will become a 'ruined country' due to the migrant crisis in Ceuta. He also criticised the country's defence spending and its behaviour within NATO. He made these remarks in an interview with GB News.
How many migrants entered Ceuta according to the reports?
Reports varied on the number of migrants. Infobae stated over 70,000 entered on July 30 and 31, while OKDIARIO reported 80,000 illegal immigrants. Other outlets did not specify a number.
What specific criticisms did Trump make regarding Spain's NATO contributions?
Trump criticised Spain for not paying what it should for NATO commitments and for not behaving well with regard to the alliance. Infobae's full report detailed past disagreements over defence spending targets.

Read it at the source

74 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.

Left

5

Centre

5

Right

15
Show 7 more

Not rated

49
Show 41 more

How did this read?

About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.

Trump on Spain and Ceuta | MediaBias News