Major BRICS country responds to Trump's tariff threat
Earlier this week, Trump warned that he would impose additional 10% duties on any country that 'aligns itself' with BRICS, which he claimed, is adopting 'anti-American policies.'
Prasetyo told journalists on Wednesday that Indonesia, which joined the bloc as a full member in early 2025, views the potential extra US tariffs 'as part of the consequences of joining BRICS.'
'We will have to face it,' the state secretary said, as cited by the Jakarta Globe.
Indonesia and South Africa were the only two BRICS states among 14 countries that recently received letters from the US warning of harsh tariffs starting on August 1. According to Washington, Jakarta would be subject to a 32% rate. That will grow to 42% if Trump's threat of extra duties on the bloc's members is realized.
According to Prasetyo, the tariffs are not final. Indonesia has sent its economic minister to Washington in an attempt to negotiate better terms, he added.
In a declaration at the BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro over the weekend, member states Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russian Federation, South Africa, and UAE condemned 'indiscriminate rising of tariffs,' saying it could reduce global trade and disrupt supply chains.
In another attack on BRICS on Tuesday, Trump accused the bloc of trying to 'degenerate' and 'destroy' the US dollar, promising that he is 'not going to let that happen.' BRICS nations intensified efforts to reduce their reliance on third-party currencies in bilateral trade after the US and EU froze Russian assets, mostly held in dollars and euros, as part of sanctions against Moscow following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022.
BRICS leaders have stated they have no interest in undermining the dollar, and that the US currency can only be weakened by its politicization.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said previously that Moscow never made a decision to give up the dollar, but was actually banned from using it by Washington. According to the Russian leader, the push by countries to seek alternative means of payment, a result of Washington's 'weaponization' of its currency, cannot be reversed through more restrictive measures.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Russia Today
11 minutes ago
- Russia Today
US Republicans post photo of Trump with Lada
A Republican Party social media post on Friday aimed at promoting American manufacturing has drawn ridicule online after users identified the car featured in the image as a presumably Soviet-made Lada, not a product of the US auto industry. The image, posted to the party's official account on X, shows US President Donald Trump standing in front of a bright yellow sedan. The caption reads: 'A Big Beautiful Bill will help bring back the great American car,' referencing legislation recently signed by Trump to extend tax cuts and promote domestic automobile production. But online commentators quickly noticed the car was no symbol of Detroit. 'That's a Soviet VAZ-2101, better known as a Lada 1200,' read one top comment, accompanied by laughing emojis. Others chimed in with jabs like 'Make Lada Great Again' and 'Bringing Soviet prosperity to a decaying America.' Auto experts confirmed the mistake. 'That car is either a Lada 2101 or a Fiat 124 — and certainly not American,' said Artem Bobtsov, speaking to RBK on Saturday. 'The Fiat 124 was the model the Soviets used to build their first Zhiguli, so it's possible the image features either. But what's clear is that it isn't American-made.' RBK suggests the image may have come from a European stock photo database. Auto analyst Maxim Kadakov noted, 'This car appears to be registered in Hungary. It's likely the designers just grabbed a rusted-out old photo from the internet to avoid copyright issues with American manufacturers.' The post was meant to celebrate Trump's so-called 'Big Beautiful Bill,' a sweeping tax and spending law passed in July. The legislation includes tax breaks for Americans buying US-assembled vehicles and cuts to federal spending. However, critics — including Tesla boss Elon Musk — say it will balloon the federal deficit and national debt. Musk warned the bill could push the deficit to $2.5 trillion. While the Republican Party has not deleted the post, the online reaction has been scathing. 'I didn't know Lada had a factory in the US,' wrote one user. 'Will there be a new trade deal with Russia next?'
Russia Today
4 hours ago
- Russia Today
Trump fires statistics official after US posts weak job numbers
US President Donald Trump dismissed Erika McEntarfer, commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), on Friday, claiming that the latest employment figures had been rigged against him. The dismissal followed weaker-than-expected July hiring numbers and significant downward revisions for May and June. Trump alleged in a Truth Social post that the employment figures issued this week had been deliberately manipulated to harm him politically, describing them as 'RIGGED' to make Republicans and himself 'look bad.' 'I have directed my Team to fire this Biden Political Appointee, IMMEDIATELY,' Trump posted later on Friday, asserting McEntarfer, would be replaced by someone 'much more competent and qualified.' A BLS spokesperson confirmed that McEntarfer 'was terminated,' and Deputy Commissioner William Wiatrowski will take over on an acting basis. July jobs report showed just 73,000 jobs added, with revisions revealing 258,000 fewer jobs overall in May and June. The unemployment rate rose slightly, to 4.2%. Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer supported Trump's decision to replace McEntarfer, emphasizing the importance of making sure 'the American People can trust' BLS data. Republican Senator Roger Marshall, who had previously questioned McEntarfer's job statistics, also praised the move. Marshall stated on X that her 'cooked-up numbers have misled the American people for too long.' Economists, however, expressed concern about the firing, with Arin Dube warning on X that it 'threatens to destroy trust in core American institutions and all government statistics.' A bipartisan group, including former BLS commissioners William Beach, appointed by Trump, and Erica Groshen, named to the post by former President Barack Obama, condemned McEntarfer's firing. The rationale 'undermines the credibility of federal economic statistics,' they said in a statement. Democratic Senate Leader Chuck Schumer also criticized Trump's decision: 'What does a bad leader do when they get bad news? Shoot the messenger.' The monthly jobs report significantly impacts financial markets, which fell about 1.5% following the announcement. Trump hasn't always been skeptical of these reports—when May data was first released in June showing 139,000 jobs added, he posted: 'GREAT JOB NUMBERS, STOCK MARKET UP BIG!' That figure was later revised down to 125,000, then sharply, to just 19,000.
Russia Today
7 hours ago
- Russia Today
Musk claims ‘major' US Democrats in Epstein docs
Senior members of the US Democratic Party and their benefactors could appear in the Epstein documents, X owner Elon Musk has claimed. On Friday, Bloomberg reported that the FBI agents reviewing the files on the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein had identified numerous references to US President Donald Trump, as well as dozens of other high-profile figures. The agency stressed that the appearance of any name 'is not evidence of a crime or even a suggestion of wrongdoing.' Responding to the report, one X user suggested that 'when a Democrat becomes president, they'll un-redact these names.' Musk, however, did not agree, saying, 'They won't, because major Dems and their donors are on the list too.' He did not offer any evidence or elaborate. In 2019, a spokesman for former President Bill Clinton confirmed that he had flown on Epstein's private aircraft multiple times, while stressing that the ex-US leader had never visited Epstein's notorious private island. Alan Dershowitz, Epstein's former lawyer, has named two Democrats – former Senator George Mitchell and former UN Ambassador Bill Richardson – as appearing in the documents, stressing that that alone did not indicate any wrongdoing. In June, Musk – who had a falling-out with Trump over his legislative agenda – claimed that the president was in the Epstein files, suggesting, 'that is the real reason they have not been made public.' He later deleted his post, acknowledging he 'went too far.' Epstein was arrested in 2019 on federal sex trafficking charges involving minors, with some of the abuse occurring on his private island, Little St. James, located in the US Virgin Islands. The financier later died in jail in what was ruled a suicide. The case has fueled intense public scrutiny, driven by Epstein's ties to powerful figures across politics, finance, royalty, and media, as well as rumors of a potential cover-up. On the campaign trail, Trump pledged to release all documents related to Epstein if elected. However, in July 2025, the US authorities concluded that Epstein did not keep a so-called 'client list' that could implicate his high-profile associates, sparking widespread public uproar.
