President Donald Trump is prepared to take whatever steps are necessary to protect American interests against countries he believes are aligning with BRICS to challenge the United States, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said during a Monday press briefing.
“The president believes BRICS is working to undermine the interests of the United States,” Leavitt told reporters. “He views it as his highest duty to ensure America is treated fairly on the global stage, and he will act decisively to prevent any nation from taking advantage of the U.S. or our people.”
Her remarks come after Trump issued a stark warning on his Truth Social platform, declaring that any country supporting what he called “Anti-American policies of BRICS” would face an additional 10% tariff on their exports to the U.S.
“There will be no exceptions to this policy,” Trump wrote.
Trump Monitoring BRICS Summit
Leavitt said Trump is “closely monitoring” developments from the 17th BRICS Summit, which concluded in Rio de Janeiro on July 7. The summit brought together not only the founding members — Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa — but also new participants including Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the UAE, and Indonesia.
“The president doesn’t see these countries as growing stronger. He sees them as attempting to undermine U.S. interests — and that’s not something he will tolerate, no matter how big or small the country may be,” Leavitt said.
BRICS Pushes Back
Trump’s hardline stance followed a joint statement from the BRICS Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors, who condemned the “unilateral imposition” of tariffs and other trade measures that they argue violate World Trade Organization (WTO) rules.
“We voiced our serious concerns with the unilateral imposition of trade and finance-related actions,” the BRICS statement read, warning that such moves risk triggering a global recession and prolonged economic stagnation.
Despite Trump’s accusations, BRICS officials emphasized that the bloc does not seek confrontation but rather aims to strengthen multilateral, fair, and non-discriminatory global trade norms.
A Rising Global Force
Together, BRICS countries and their newer members now account for:
- Nearly 50% of the world’s population
- About 40% of global GDP
- Roughly one-quarter of global trade and investment flows
Trump’s renewed tariff threats signal a growing geopolitical rift, as the U.S. seeks to blunt the influence of emerging economies working to establish alternatives to Western-led financial systems and alliances.
