President Donald Trump threatened Sunday to impose an additional 10 percent tariff on any country aligning with what he characterized as the “Anti-American policies” of the BRICS group of developing nations, escalating trade tensions as the bloc’s leaders gathered for their annual summit in Rio de Janeiro.
“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 declared in a post on Truth Social Sunday evening. The president did not specify which BRICS policies he considered anti-American.
Trump’s threat came hours after BRICS leaders released a joint declaration that appeared to target his administration’s trade policies without naming the United States directly. The bloc voiced “serious concerns about the rise of unilateral tariff and non-tariff measures which distort trade and are inconsistent with WTO rules,” warning that such actions threaten to disrupt the global economy and worsen economic disparities.
The timing of Trump’s announcement injected fresh uncertainty into global trade negotiations as his administration races to finalize dozens of trade deals before a July 9 deadline. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent indicated that higher tariff rates would take effect on August 1 for countries that fail to reach agreements with Washington. Trump confirmed that the United States would begin delivering tariff letters to affected nations starting Monday at noon Eastern time.
The BRICS bloc, which originally comprised Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, has expanded significantly over the past year. The group now includes Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as full members, while another 30 nations have expressed interest in joining either as full members or partners. The organization represents more than half of the world’s population and 40 percent of global economic output.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, opening the two-day summit, drew parallels between BRICS and the Cold War-era Non-Aligned Movement. “BRICS is the heir to the Non-Aligned Movement,” Lula told assembled leaders. “With multilateralism under attack, our autonomy is in check once again.”
The summit was notably marked by the absence of two major leaders. Chinese President Xi Jinping skipped the meeting for the first time since becoming China’s leader in 2012, sending Premier Li Qiang in his place. Russian President Vladimir Putin, facing an international arrest warrant related to the Ukraine conflict, participated via videoconference from Moscow.
Stephen Olson, a former U.S. trade negotiator now with the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, suggested Trump’s reference to “anti-American” policies likely pertains to “the desire expressed by BRICS members to move beyond a U.S.-led world order in finance and global governance.” How such alignment would be assessed remains unclear, Olson noted.
The BRICS declaration also criticized recent military strikes on member nation Iran without specifically naming Israel or the United States, which conducted the operations. The bloc expressed “grave concern” for the humanitarian situation in Gaza and called for an immediate ceasefire and withdrawal of Israeli forces.
Brazil’s strategy for hosting the summit focused on less controversial issues such as trade promotion and global health cooperation, seeking to avoid drawing additional scrutiny from the Trump administration. The country will also host the United Nations climate summit in November, positioning itself as a leader among developing nations on climate action while Trump has rolled back U.S. climate initiatives.
Indonesia’s senior economic minister, Airlangga Hartarto, attended the BRICS summit in Brazil and was scheduled to travel to the United States on Monday for tariff negotiations, according to officials. The World Trade Organization rules that BRICS leaders cited in their criticism of unilateral tariffs have become a focal point of tension between developing nations and the Trump administration’s trade approach.
The BRICS leaders backed plans to pilot a Multilateral Guarantees initiative within the group’s New Development Bank to reduce financing costs and boost investment among member states. In a separate statement on artificial intelligence, they called for protections against unauthorized data collection and mechanisms for fair compensation.
Trump had previously threatened to impose 100 percent tariffs on BRICS nations if they pursued initiatives to challenge the U.S. dollar’s dominance in global trade. While Brazilian President Lula had floated the idea of a BRICS currency in 2023, the concept has not gained significant traction within the organization, which instead focuses on promoting trade in local currencies among member nations.