Donald Trump promises 100% tariffs on BRICS countries if…: “Find another idiot”

US President-elect Donald Trump has promised 100% tariffs on BRICS countries if they want to replace the US dollar and demanded a commitment from the nine-member group, which includes India, Russia, China and Brazil.

BRICS, founded in 2009, is the only major international group that does not include the United States. In recent years, some of its member countries, particularly Russia and China, are looking for an alternative to the US dollar or creating their own BRICS currency. India has not yet been part of the move.

On Saturday, Trump warned the BRICS countries against such a move in a post on Truth Social, a platform he runs.

“The idea that the BRICS are trying to move away from the dollar while we watch is OVER,” the president-elect said.

“We require these countries to commit to neither creating a new BRICS currency nor supporting any other currency to replace the powerful US dollar, otherwise they will face 100 percent tariffs and should expect to withdraw from sales to say goodbye to the wonderful US economy,” Trump warned.

“You can find another ‘sucker!'” “There is no chance that the BRICS will replace the US dollar in international trade, and any country that tries should say goodbye to America,” he said .

During the 2023 summit, the BRICS countries decided to examine the feasibility of a new common currency. This initiative was proposed by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

However, India said it was against de-dollarization.

India’s Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar explained India’s stance on the US dollar in his address at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace on de-dollarization.

He stressed that India has no “malicious intentions towards the dollar” and is not targeting it through economic or strategic policies. However, challenges arise when trading partners lack dollars, prompting India to explore alternative settlements.

The idea that the BRICS are trying to move away from the dollar while we watch is OVER.

Jaishankar noted that U.S. policy sometimes complicates dollar-based trading and requires “workarounds” to maintain business. On global economic changes, he said, “We have talked about rebalancing…obviously all of this will also impact currencies and economic needs,” underscoring India’s pragmatic approach.