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.

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."

In his remarks after the inaugural address, President Trump threatened BRICS nations with 100% tariffs if they pursue de-dollarisation efforts.

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.

Nigeria has been admitted as a “partner country” of the BRICS bloc of developing economies. BRICS was formed by Brazil, Russia, India and China in 2009, with South Africa added in 2010, as a counterweight to the Group of Seven leading industrialized nations.