US President Donald Trump has issued a stern warning to countries around the world, threatening to impose an additional 10% tariff on any nation that does business with the BRICS economic bloc. In a post on Truth Social, Trump accused BRICS of adopting “anti-American policies” and stated that there would be “no exceptions” to this new tariff policy.
The warning comes on the heels of the BRICS leaders’ summit in Rio de Janeiro, where the bloc criticized unilateral tariff actions and condemned “indiscriminate” trade measures. Although the US was not directly mentioned in the joint declaration, Trump’s response suggests that he views the BRICS bloc as a challenge to American economic interests.
This is not the first time Trump has taken aim at BRICS. In February, he threatened to impose tariffs as high as 100% on BRICS member countries if they established a common currency or challenged the US dollar’s dominance in global trade. Trump declared that BRICS would be “dead” if it pursued such policies.
The BRICS bloc, which originally consisted of Brazil, Russia, India, and China, has expanded to include several other countries, including South Africa, Egypt, Iran, Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates, and Indonesia. According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the bloc’s combined GDP has surpassed that of the G7 when measured by purchasing power parity, and it now represents nearly half of the world’s population and about 40% of global GDP.
Since returning to office in January, Trump has launched a tariff campaign aimed at protecting US manufacturers. This campaign culminated in a set of measures on April 2, which included a blanket 10% tariff and up to 70% on countries accused of treating the US “unfairly.” Most of these tariffs were paused for 90 days to allow for negotiations, but the deadline has been extended to August 1.
As part of this effort, Trump is writing letters to US trade partners, with the first “take it or leave it” deals set to be sent out on Monday. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated that Trump would also send letters to 100 smaller countries with which the US has limited trade, many of which are already subject to a 10% tariff.
So far, the US has signed deals with only a few countries, including the UK, which will maintain a 10% rate, and Vietnam, which will face a minimum 20% tariff. A temporary deal was also reached with Beijing to limit the tariff to 30%, following a series of tit-for-tat increases that saw the tariff rise to 145% earlier this year.
As the global trade landscape continues to evolve, Trump’s warning to countries doing business with BRICS is likely to have significant implications for international trade and economic relations. With the US seeking to protect its manufacturers and assert its economic influence, the coming months will be crucial in determining the fate of global trade policies.
