Trump's comments came amid renewed global debate over the BRICS' supposed push for alternative trade mechanisms to shed reliance on the dollar.
US President Donald Trump has defended his tariff policy against BRICS members, claiming the bloc was "an attack on the dollar". Speaking at the White House, the US leader claimed the member countries were "dropping out" of the bloc after he threatened to impose tariffs on them for attempting to replace the American currency.
"I told anybody who wants to be in BRICS, That's fine, but we're going to put tariffs on your nation. Everybody dropped out. They're all dropping out of BRICS," Trump said during a meeting with Argentine Prime Minister Javier Milei at the White House.
"I'm very strong on the dollar, and anybody that wants to deal in dollars, they have an advantage over people that aren't... BRICS was an attack on the dollar, and I said, You want to play that game, I'm going to put tariffs on all of your products coming into the US. They said, like I said, we're dropping out of BRICS... They don't even talk about it anymore," he added.
Trump's comments came amid renewed global debate over the BRICS grouping's supposed push for alternative trade mechanisms to shed reliance on the dollar. If implemented, the move poses a direct threat to US financial dominance.
The BRICS grouping, originally comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, has recently expanded to include new members. Seen as a key group representing emerging economies, the bloc has expanded to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates in recent years.Trump, who has long used tariffs as a tool of foreign policy leverage, has in the past threatened a 10 per cent additional levy on any country looking to join BRICS.
Unsurprisingly, BRICS members, including India, Brazil, China and Russia, are some of the nations that are worst affected by Trump tariffs.
