Brics was attack on dollar: Trump claims tariffs made nations drop out of bloc

US President Donald Trump claimed he deterred nations from joining the Brics by threatening tariffs, calling the bloc an attack on the dollar and boasting that countries dropped out after his warning.

US President Donald Trump has claimed credit for derailing the Brics alliance’s ambitions, saying he threatened to impose tariffs on any country that joined the bloc, which he described as an attack on the dollar.

"I told anybody who wants to be in Brics, that’s fine, but we’re going to put tariffs on your nation," Trump said during a meeting with his Argentinian counterpart, Javier Milei, at the White House.

"Everybody dropped out. They’re all dropping out of Brics. 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," he added.

According to Trump, his warning led countries to rethink their participation in the economic grouping led by Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. "They said, like I said, we’re dropping out of Brics... They don’t even talk about it anymore," he said.

The president’s remarks come amid renewed global debate over the bloc’s push for alternative trade mechanisms that challenge US financial dominance. Trump, who has long used tariffs as a tool of foreign policy leverage, framed his comments as a victory for the dollar and American economic power.

The US President has doubled down on his tariffs on Brics countries, particularly on India. Trump has called the group "anti the United States". He even had threatened a 10 per cent additional tariff on any country perceived to align Brics policies.

INDIA AVOIDS CONFRONTATION WITH US

India, however, has adopted a more measured and conciliatory stance. External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said, "Regarding the role of the dollar, we are realistic. We have no issue with the dollar."

"We have no interest in undermining the dollar," he added. However, Jaishankar made these remarks in March 2025, before tensions flared between New Delhi and Washington. Since then, US-India trade relations have strained sharply after Donald Trump imposed steep tariffs on Indian exports over New Delhi’s continued purchase of Russian oil.

Brics originally comprised Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, but expanded in 2024 to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates, and in 2025, with Indonesia.

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With inputs from agencies

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