Declaring an uncompromising trade stance, United States President Donald Trump has threatened a 10 per cent tariff on countries he believes are aligning themselves with what he described as the “anti-American policies” of the BRICS grouping.
The US President issued the warning on his social media platform Truth Social on Sunday, just hours after the BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro, where leaders from Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa met alongside newly joined members including Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UAE.
“Any Country aligning themselves with the anti-American policies of BRICS will be charged an ADDITIONAL 10% Tariff. There will be no exceptions to this policy. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Trump wrote, without offering any clarification on what constitutes “anti-American policies”.
His post, brief and lacking specifics, marked a sharp escalation in rhetoric against the increasingly assertive BRICS alliance, which now pitches itself as a counterweight to Western-led institutions such as the G7 and NATO.
Also read: Starmer says Trump ties helped lift UK trade tariffs
The former five-member bloc has recently expanded its influence, inducting key Middle Eastern and African players, and is increasingly vocal about reshaping global governance structures to give the Global South more representation.
Trump’s message is likely to stir concern among US allies maintaining trade or diplomatic links with BRICS members, many of whom seek strategic autonomy without fully abandoning ties with Washington. While India, for example, is a founding BRICS member and a key partner in the Quad alliance, Saudi Arabia and the UAE maintain close defence and energy relationships with the US.
It remains unclear whether Trump intends to apply the threatened tariff to long-standing US trade partners such as Indonesia or South Africa, both of which participate in multiple international forums including BRICS.
The White House has not yet elaborated on how or when such a policy would be implemented.
Follow us
