Trump threatens BRICS partners with extra tariffs
The warning came just hours after BRICS leaders concluded their summit in Rio de Janeiro. In their joint declaration, the bloc criticized unilateral tariff actions and condemned what they described as 'indiscriminate' trade measures, without mentioning the US directly.
'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 wrote in a post on Truth Social on Sunday.
The warning echoes Trump's even harsher remarks in February, when he threatened BRICS members with tariffs as high as 100%. At the time, he declared that BRICS was 'dead' if it established a common currency or otherwise challenged the US dollar's dominance in global trade.
BRICS, originally formed by Brazil, Russia, India and China in 2006, has expanded to include South Africa, Egypt, Iran, Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates and Indonesia. At the group's summit in the Russian city of Kazan last year, BRICS approved a new 'partner country' status in response to growing membership interest shown by more than 30 countries.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said during Sunday's BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro that the bloc's combined GDP has surpassed that of the G7 when measured by purchasing power parity. The group now represents nearly half 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. It culminated on April 2 with a set of measures on what he called 'Liberation Day', including a blanket 10% tariff and up to 70% on countries he accused of treating the US most 'unfairly.'
Most of the tariffs were paused for 90 days to allow negotiations. The deadline has been further extended to August 1, as Trump is writing letters to US trade partners, with the first 'take it or leave it' deals set to be sent out on Monday.
'I am pleased to announce that the UNITED STATES TARIFF Letters, and/or Deals, with various Countries from around the World, will be delivered starting 12:00 P.M. (Eastern), Monday, July 7th,' he wrote in a separate post on Sunday.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNN that Trump would also send out letters to 100 smaller countries 'where we don't have very much trade,' many of which are 'already at the baseline 10%.'
So far, the US has signed deals only with the UK, maintaining a 10% rate, and a minimum 20% tariff with Vietnam. Washington also reached a temporary deal with Beijing to limit the tariff at 30% – after hiking it to a whopping 145% in a series of tit-for-tat increases earlier this year.
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