• BRICS leaders condemned Trump’s 10% tariff threat during a recent summit in Brazil.
• Brazil's President Lula da Silva asserted that the world does not seek an 'emperor' in reference to Trump's stance.
• The BRICS bloc aims to promote cooperation and alternative economic structures amid U.S. pressure.

At the BRICS summit held in Rio de Janeiro, leaders of the bloc expressed serious concerns regarding the U.S. President Donald Trump's threat to impose an additional 10% tariff on member nations aligning with what he terms "anti-American policies." Trump's comments came just after the bloc's leaders released a statement condemning unilateral tariffs that distort international trade, a move widely interpreted as a direct critique of U.S. economic strategies, according to Channel News Asia and Al Jazeera.

Brazil’s President Lula da Silva responded defiantly to Trump's warning: "We don’t want an emperor," emphasizing the bloc's unity and calling for a diversified global economy that doesn't rely solely on the U.S. dollar. He reiterated the need for responsible discussion among central banks to gradually consolidate this economic shift, as reported by India Times and NPR.

In response to Trump’s remarks, other BRICS leaders, including those from South Africa and China, called the tariff threats a form of coercive diplomacy that undermines global cooperation. They collectively rejected the notion that BRICS was aimed at undermining U.S. interests, instead positioning it as a forum for promoting equitable economic policies amidst growing protectionism, according to Reuters and Bangkok Post.

Trump reiterated his stance, claiming that the BRICS bloc was "set up to hurt us" and arguing that countries affiliated with it should expect to face economic penalties. His administration has indicated that the tariffs would be enacted only if individual countries adopted policies deemed hostile to American interests, creating an atmosphere of uncertainty in trade relations, as detailed by TRT Global.