On July 6, 2025, US President Donald Trump, in a social media post, said: “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.”
The BRICS Leaders’ Summit was held in Rio de Janeiro from July 6-7, 2025. Trump reiterated his threat on July 8, 2025. He said that the BRICS bloc was set up to “degenerate” the US dollar, and any country that was part of the bloc would face the consequences. Trump’s statements came amidst US trade talks with several countries—as the 90-day pause pertaining to tariffs announced earlier by the US president ended. The Trump administration sent out letters to over 20 countries mentioning new tariff rates, if agreements were not reached by August 1, 2025.