Washington, July 7: Hours after BRICS nations issued a joint statement cautioning against the rising use of trade tariffs, US President Donald Trump on Monday threatened a 10 per cent tariff on any country siding with the bloc’s economic positions.
“Any Country aligning themselves with the Anti-American policies of BRICS will be charged an ADDITIONAL 10% Tariff,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “There will be no exceptions to this policy. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
Though he did not clarify which BRICS positions he deemed “anti-American,” the timing of his post closely followed the release of the Rio de Janeiro Declaration, which took aim at protectionist trade policies — widely seen as a veiled rebuke of the United States.
Signed by the 11-nation BRICS alliance, the declaration warned that rising trade restrictions, including tariffs and non-tariff measures, could damage the already fragile global economic order.
“The proliferation of trade-restrictive actions… threatens to further reduce global trade, disrupt global supply chains, and introduce uncertainty into international economic and trade activities,” the document stated.
While not naming the United States directly, the statement was interpreted by analysts as a pointed criticism of Trump’s continued use of reciprocal tariffs, which he has defended as a tool to rebalance what he sees as unfair trade practices.
The declaration also restated BRICS’ commitment to a multilateral trading system anchored by the World Trade Organization. “We reiterate our support for the rules-based, open, transparent, fair, inclusive, equitable, non-discriminatory, consensus-based multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organisation (WTO) at its core,” the leaders said, underlining the importance of special treatment for developing economies.
The BRICS grouping, formed in 2009 by Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, expanded in 2024 to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. With these additions, the bloc now represents roughly half of the world’s population (49.5%), nearly 40% of global GDP, and 26% of international trade.
By raising tariffs on countries associating with BRICS, the Trump administration risks escalating trade tensions with key emerging economies, many of which maintain close ties with the United States.
“There’s a growing risk of fragmentation in the global trading system,” said an international trade analyst. “If the U.S. continues down this path, it could find itself increasingly isolated.”
