In a renewed salvo on global trade dynamics, former US President Donald Trump framed BRICS as not merely a coalition of emerging economies, but as a deliberate attack on the US dollar. Speaking forcefully, he claimed that many nations are now “dropping out” of the bloc, and warned of sweeping tariffs on their goods if they continued to challenge dollar dominance. 

Trump asserted: “I told anybody who wants to be in BRICS we’re going to put tariffs on your nation BRICS was an attack on the dollar.” He said many countries are backing away from the grouping, “They don’t even talk about it anymore.” This rhetoric follows his broader pitch that the BRICS expansion threatens US economic primacy particularly its global reserve currency status. 

The BRICS bloc, originally comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, has since expanded to 10 full members, including Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, UAE, and Indonesia. In addition, it now has a number of partner and applicant nations like Bolivia, Belarus, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Trump’s core gripe: that such expansion is part of a strategy to erode the dollar’s global standing, posing a geopolitical and economic challenge to the US hegemony. 

Trump’s message drew immediate tension with India’s stance. While India supports multilateral trade and respects international norms, it has clarified that it does not support de dollarisation the practice of moving away from the US dollar in global trade. His argument rests on the assertion that any country in BRICS will face 100 % tariffs if it pursues anti dollar policies. 

Politically, Trump’s remarks echo his long-standing protectionist posture, promising to punish nations that he sees as undermining American interests. But they also raise delicate questions for many BRICS members caught between joining a rising economic coalition and facing potential U.S. trade retaliation.

As BRICS seeks greater cohesion, particularly with new members and ambitions to reshape global financial architecture, Trump’s pronouncements may fuel further uncertainty. Will member nations recoil under tariff threats, or will they press on with deeper cooperation? The next moves in this high stakes contest will be eagerly watched across capitals from New Delhi to Washington.

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