Washington, DC [US], July 8 : President Donald Trump believes BRICS is seeking to "undermine" the interests of the United States, and he intends to ensure that America is fairly treated on the world stage, the White House stated.
While addressing a press briefing on Monday (local time), Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that Trump will take any necessary action to prevent nations from taking "advantage of the US" and its people.
"The president feels, generally speaking, that BRICS is seeking to undermine the interests of the United States. It's the president's utmost responsibility to put the interests of the United States first. That's how he views his job as president. So, he's going to ensure that America is fairly treated on the world stage, and he'll take any action necessary to prevent countries from taking advantage of the United States and our people."
She stated that Trump is "closely monitoring" the BRICS Summit, and he perceives these nations as trying to undermine the US interests. The 17th BRICS Summit, hosted by Brazil in Rio de Janeiro on July 6-7, brought together leaders from Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, and new members Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the UAE, and Indonesia for the meeting.
"He's closely monitoring it (BRICS Summit), which is why he put out a statement himself. He does not perceive these countries as growing stronger. He just perceives them as trying to undermine the United States' interests. And that's not okay with him. No matter how strong or weak a country may be."
Her remarks come after Trump issued a strong warning to countries supporting what he termed the anti-American policies of BRICS. In a post shared on Truth Social, Trump stated that any country aligning itself with the "Anti-American policies of BRICS" will face an additional 10 per cent tariff on goods.
"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 posted on Truth Social.
https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114809574296066307
Trump's statement signals a hard stance from the US administration against what it sees as growing opposition from BRICS nations. The response came after the joint statement of the Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) Meeting of BRICS nations voiced opposition to the unilateral imposition of trade and finance-related actions, including the raising of tariffs and non-tariff measures.
The statement stated, "We voiced our serious concerns with the unilateral imposition of trade and finance-related actions, including the raising of tariffs and non-tariff measures which distort trade and are inconsistent with World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules."
The statement further adds that "In this testing environment, BRICS members have demonstrated resilience and will continue to cooperate among themselves and with other countries to safeguard and strengthen the non-discriminatory, open, fair, inclusive, equitable, transparent, and rules-based multilateral trading system with the WTO at its core, avoiding trade wars that could plunge the global economy into recession or further prolong subdued growth".
Altogether, BRICS nations--Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, as well as many other developing nations that have joined BRICS over the last few years --account for nearly half of the world's population and about 40 per cent of the global GDP. The BRICS group now accounts for approximately a quarter of global trade and investment flows.