Spain's Sanchez reaps gains from anti-Trump stance, testing ties with US

MADRID, Feb 20: Pedro Sanchez's thinly veiled criticisms of U.S. policy play well with his voters but are irritating Spain's powerful ally, where political advisers close to the White House warn the Socialist prime minister to watch his step.

From condemning the United States' intervention in Venezuela to pushing for stricter controls of social media platforms and opting out of NATO's defence spending target, Sanchez has taken a strikingly defiant tone on issues key to the U.S. agenda.

More than once, the Spanish leader, one of a dwindling number of left-leaning voices in Europe, has pointedly framed his policies in contrast to President Donald Trump's.

In an op-ed in the New York Times, he said "MAGA-style leaders" were fooling the public on the supposed evils of migration, and that his own plans to crimp digital platforms were "making social media great again".    �"REUTERS