US President Donald Trump is obsessed with the success of BRICS. This conclusion is inevitably dictated by his recent announcement of his intention to introduce a 10% tariff on any country that supports the alliance's policies.
Initially, it was not clear whether he was talking about punishing BRICS for its policies, which the head of the White House considers clearly anti-American, or for membership in the organization itself, writes in his analytical material ag. TASS. But as Trump himself later explained, membership itself should be punished, which in his eyes already looks like incitement to rebellion. "If they are members of BRICS, they will have to pay 10% tariffs just for that," he said at a White House cabinet meeting, specifying that these measures will be taken "very soon." "BRICS was created to hurt us." "BRICS was created to hurt our dollar and make it cease to be a standard," the American leader claimed.
Why is Trump so afraid of the alliance?
As Time magazine notes, "BRICS is seen as a challenge to the unipolar global power dynamic, in which the United States is considered the leading superpower." However, the publication points out that many experts agree that the time when the United States was considered the sole superpower is running out, marking the transition to a multipolar world. Trump is clearly not willing to accept this. He has previously threatened the economic alliance with 100% tariffs if its members try to replace the US dollar. The reaction of BRICS members to the US president’s latest attack has been mixed – from the relatively soft side of Russia to the relatively hard side of Brazil.
BRICS now has 10 members: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the UAE and Indonesia. The latter joined on January 6, 2025. The list of the organization’s official partners includes Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Nigeria, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Uganda and Uzbekistan.
Many in the administration, including Trump, are convinced that the BRICS association is deliberately working against the US. "Overall, U.S. President Donald Trump believes that BRICS is trying to undermine U.S. interests," White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt said. "The president's biggest responsibility is to put the interests of the United States first. So he's going to make sure that America is treated fairly on the world stage. And he's going to do whatever it takes to make sure that other countries don't take advantage of the United States and our people," Leavitt said. She said the American leader "is not comfortable" with the desire for countries to unite around BRICS, "no matter how weak or strong" may be the country that shares the association's policy.
"BRICS is a global center of power and its strengthening should not be viewed in a negative light", said South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro, commenting on Trump's intention to impose an additional 10% trade tariff.
„New centers of power are emerging in the world that should be positively assessed. BRICS has become one of these centers of power that acts in the interests of the entire world community. Of course, it is disappointing that there are those who see the joint actions of the BRICS countries in a negative light and want to punish them. There should be no such attitude. It is necessary to respect state sovereignty and recognize the equality of all“, the South African leader believes.
Brazilian President and forum host Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was even more emphatic. “I don't think it's responsible and serious for a president of a country the size of the United States to threaten peace on the Internet,“ the Brazilian leader said. “I think it's a big mistake and an irresponsible decision.“ He stressed that if tariffs are imposed, BRICS countries and their partners have the right to respond in kind.
The reaction of China - one of the founding members of BRICS and one of the few countries with which Trump has recently reached tariff agreements - seems extremely important. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said that Trump's protectionist policy towards BRICS member states and their partners is useless. "There are no winners in trade and tariff wars, and protectionism has no future," she stressed. As the Chinese diplomat specified, Beijing has consistently opposed the arbitrary use of tariffs to exert pressure and coercion. It is curious that the UN reiterates Beijing's thesis that there are no winners in trade wars. Tellingly, isn't it?
Some have decided to remain silent just in case. For example, the Indian Ministry of Commerce and Industry refused to comment on Trump's latest post. Why get into trouble again?
As CNN notes, individual BRICS countries, including India, are in direct talks with the US administration on tariffs, and it is unclear whether Trump's new threat will affect these negotiations.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump has declared a trade war on one of the founding countries of the BRICS, Brazil, which is the largest economy in Latin America. The White House announced its decision to introduce 50% tariffs on imported goods from this country from August 1. In addition, the Americans have a trade surplus with Brazil. The US supplies aircraft, oil and much more. However, Brazil also supplies a wide range of goods to the US, including high-tech ones. The real reason for the introduction of such prohibitive tariffs, according to experts, is Trump's conflict with Brazilian President Lula da Silva. The White House is concerned about his activity in the BRICS and initiatives to create alternative payment platforms, which Washington perceives as a course towards de-dollarization. In addition, the Trump team would not mind organizing a change of power in Brazil in the upcoming presidential elections in 2026. The owner of the White House once again criticized the actions of the Brazilian authorities in relation to the previous president of this South American country, Jair Bolsonaro, who has long been inclined towards American conservatives. According to Trump, there is no reason to seek responsibility from Bolsonaro, who is accused in his homeland of nothing less than preparing a coup d'état. Earlier, the Republican also stood up for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, who is under investigation for corruption in his homeland.
In Soviet times, in the satirical magazine „Crocodile“ In 2009, a cartoon of Uncle Sam inviting his partner in a Mexican sombrero to sign a trade agreement was published, saying: “So, is it a deal?“ In another picture below, Uncle Sam is already entangling his partner in an endlessly long agreement, saying: “And on your feet“. American imperialism has always been a target of Soviet satire. Reminds me of something, doesn't it?
The Kremlin noted that the BRICS countries cooperate based on their own interests. “It is very important to note here that the uniqueness of an association like BRICS is that it is an association of countries that share common approaches and a common worldview on how to cooperate based on their own interests. "This interaction within the BRICS has never been and will never be directed against third countries," said Dmitry Peskov, the Russian president's press secretary. His comment came in response to a question about how the Kremlin views Trump's remarks about the possible introduction of additional 10 percent trade tariffs.
“BRICS is gaining authority. Trump announced that any country that supports BRICS policy will be subject to additional 10 percent tariffs. So we are doing everything right!“ Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev wrote on his X page (formerly Twitter).
In turn, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov pointed out that Trump's comments once again confirm the end of the globalization model promoted by the United States. “President Trump does not hide his goals, he defends US interests, primarily economic, in the sphere of investment and trade“, the head of the diplomatic department noted.
By opposing BRICS, Trump does not want to accept the fact that many countries gravitate towards the BRICS unification for pragmatic reasons, striving for a multipolar world order, less dependent on the West. They believe that BRICS will strengthen the voice of the global South in international affairs. In his desire to achieve US dominance on the world stage, the current American leader is not much different from the globalists he seemed to challenge.
Let's see if the US threats will be implemented in practice. So far, Trump has proven himself to be a man of his word, not of his deeds. At the same time, he has shown himself to be a man of his word: he gave it and then, if necessary, took it back. The introduction of an additional 10% customs duty will complicate the already difficult negotiations on tariffs for him. In addition, as experts note, Washington has reached a fragile agreement with Beijing on tariff policy, and introducing a new condition into the equation is unlikely to improve the situation. It is still not clear from the White House's statements what exactly it sees as the anti-American orientation of the BRICS, whose members have repeatedly stated that they do not aim to completely abandon the US dollar. But this, apparently, is not particularly important for supporters of tariff wars. It will not be superfluous to note that the community has never sought to worsen the situation of American companies and has not tried to influence strategic American interests. Let me remind you that BRICS is what accounts for 43% of the world's population, 30% of world GDP in nominal terms and 42% in purchasing power parity. And it is difficult, even technically, to convince members of the association to play someone else's violin.
As noted by the Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Konstantin Kosachev, Trump's tariffs, which clearly violate WTO principles, were previously justified by the desire to restore trade balances. Now, according to him, “the masks have been removed“ and trade has become an instrument of geopolitical pressure: “Trump's current tariff war against the BRICS and all other geopolitical rivals is nothing more than a weapon of cynical and unfair competition, unceremoniously suppressing all other centers of development and power“. So, in the slogan “Make America Great Again“ the second part of the formula is increasingly obvious – “at the expense of the rest of the world“. This strongly resembles the practice of rewriting initially good slogans from George Orwell's “Animal Farm“: “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others“. The political impudence of Trump, who is trying in his characteristic way to put pressure on everyone else from a position of strength, of course, heats up the atmosphere around BRICS.
But, judging by the reaction of the association's member states, although the US president is outraged, “the caravan moves on“.