President Donald Trump threatened to impose an additional 10% tariff on any country that aligns itself with what he described as the “anti-American” agenda of a growing global alliance of emerging economies.
The warning followed a weekend summit in Rio de Janeiro, where leaders from the BRICS coalition - a 10-nation alliance including China, Russia, India, Brazil, and South Africa - gathered to discuss trade, defense, and global governance.
Trump’s threat landed just days before the July 9 deadline for countries to reach a trade deal with the U.S. before the administration’s “Liberation Day” tariffs are reinstated.
“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,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
Trending: Meet the Heroes That Gave Their Own Lives to Save Others During the Texas Flood
The White House did not clarify which specific “anti-American policies” Trump was referring to when reached for comment.
BRICS nations - representing roughly 39% of global GDP - condemned the “proliferation of trade-restrictive actions” in a joint declaration released Sunday, though neither the U.S. nor Trump was mentioned explicitly.
“We voice serious concerns about the rise of unilateral tariff and non-tariff measures which distort trade and are inconsistent with WTO rules,” the group said.
This is not the first time Trump has aimed at BRICS.
In the past, the president has also threatened to impose 100% tariffs on BRICS nations that abandoned the U.S. dollar as their reserve currency.
The bloc also expressed “serious concern” over the recent attacks by the U.S. and Israel on what it called Iran’s “peaceful nuclear facilities,” labeling the strike as a violation of international law and the Charter of the United Nations.
At the summit, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva also characterized Israel’s conflict with Hamas as a “genocide,” while condemning NATO nations’ recent decision to increase their defense spending to 5% of GDP.
The Trump administration is preparing to unleash a new wave of pressure on global trading partners this week, warning that failure to strike deals by Wednesday could result in steep new tariffs taking effect on August 1.
Trump confirmed on Truth Social that “tariff letters” will begin going out starting Monday.
“We’ve had a lot of people change their tune in terms of negotiations. So my mailbox was full last night with a lot of new offers, a lot of new proposals,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in an interview with CNBC on Monday. “So it’s going to be a busy couple of days.”
So far, the Trump administration has announced trade deals with the U.K., Vietnam, and China.
via and all rights belong to the Daily Caller News Foundation