U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that any country aligning with the “anti-American policies” of the BRICS bloc will face an additional 10% tariff on exports to the United States. The statement, made via his Truth Social account, marks a sharp escalation in his administration’s trade stance as global tensions rise over protectionism and shifting alliances.

“Any Country aligning themselves with the Anti-American policies of BRICS, will be charged an ADDITIONAL 10% Tariff. There will be no exceptions to this policy,” Trump wrote, without elaborating on what constitutes “anti-American policies.” The post has sparked concerns among trade partners and investors as markets await further clarification.

BRICS—originally composed of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa—has expanded significantly since its founding summit in 2009. In recent years, the bloc has welcomed Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. The group now represents over 40% of the world’s population and a growing share of global economic output, increasingly positioning itself as a counterweight to Western influence.

Trump’s tariff warning comes ahead of a looming deadline for updated U.S. trade policies, including broader tariff hikes that could reach up to 70% on certain nations. Analysts say the move could impact global trade flows, particularly for countries with deepening economic ties to BRICS.

The former president’s stance signals a potential return to aggressive tariff strategies that marked his first term, fueling uncertainty for exporters and global markets. Investors are now watching closely for additional policy details and potential retaliatory measures from targeted countries.

BOSTON: A federal bench trial begins Monday over a lawsuit that challenges a Trump administration campaign of arresting and deporting faculty and students who participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations and other political activities.

The lawsuit, filed by several university associations against President Donald Trump and members of his administration, would be one of the first to go to trial. Plaintiffs want US District Judge William Young to rule the policy violates the First Amendment and the Administrative Procedure Act, a law governs the process by which federal agencies develop and issue regulations.

“The policy’s effects have been swift. Noncitizen students and faculty across the United States have been terrified into silence,” the plaintiffs wrote in their pretrial brief.

“Students and faculty are avoiding political protests, purging their social media, and withdrawing from public engagement with groups associated with pro-Palestinian viewpoints,” they wrote. “They’re abstaining from certain public writing and scholarship they would otherwise have pursued. They’re even self-censoring in the classroom.”

Several scholars are expected to testify how the policy and subsequent arrests have prompted them to abandon their activism for Palestinian human rights and criticizing Israeli government’s policies.

Since Trump took office, the US government has used its immigration enforcement powers to crack down on international students and scholars at several American universities.

Trump and other officials have accused protesters and others of being “pro-Hamas,” referring to the Palestinian militant group that attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Many protesters have said they were speaking out against Israel’s actions in the war.

Plaintiffs single out several activists by name, including Palestinian activist and Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil, who was released last month after spending 104 days in federal immigration detention. Khalil has become a symbol of Trump ‘s clampdown on campus protests.

The lawsuit also references Tufts University student Rumeysa Ozturk, who was released in May from a Louisiana immigration detention. She spent six weeks in detention after she was arrested walking on the street of a Boston suburb. She claims she was illegally detained following an op-ed she co-wrote last year that criticized the school’s response to Israel’s war in Gaza.

The plaintiffs also accuse the Trump administration of supplying names to universities who they wanted to target, launching a social media surveillance program and used Trump’s own words in which he said after Khalil’s arrest that his was the “first arrest of many to come.”

The government argued in court documents that the plaintiffs are bringing a First Amendment challenge to a policy “of their own creation.”

“They do not try to locate this program in any statute, regulation, rule, or directive. They do not allege that it is written down anywhere. And they do not even try to identify its specific terms and substance,” the government argues. “That is all unsurprising, because no such policy exists.”

They argue the plaintiffs case also rest on a “misunderstanding of the First Amendment, ”which under binding Supreme Court precedent applies differently in the immigration context than it otherwise does domestically.”

But plaintiffs counter that evidence at the trial will show the Trump administration has implemented the policy a variety of ways, including issuing formal guidance on revoking visas and green cards and establishing a process for identifying those involved in pro-Palestinian protests.

“Defendants have described their policy, defended it, and taken political credit for it,” plaintiffs wrote. “It is only now that the policy has been challenged that they say, incredibly, that the policy does not actually exist. But the evidence at trial will show that the policy’s existence is beyond cavil.”

US President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media upon his arrival at Morristown Airport, in Morristown, New Jersey, US, July 6, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Nathan Howard/File Photo

US President Donald Trump on Sunday said that countries aligning themselves with the “Anti-American policies” of BRICS, will be charged an additional 10% tariff.

“Any Country aligning themselves with the Anti-American policies of BRICS, will be charged an ADDITIONAL 10% Tariff. There will be no exceptions to this policy. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

Trump did not clarify or expand on the “Anti-American policies” reference in his post.

The original BRICS group gathered leaders from Brazil, Russia, India and China at its first summit in 2009. The bloc later added South Africa and last year included Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates and Indonesia as members.

New Delhi [India], July 7 (ANI): U.S. President Donald Trump issued a strong warning to countries supporting what he termed were the anti-American policies of BRICS.

In a social media post, Trump stated that any country aligning itself with the “Anti-American policies of BRICS” will face an additional 10 per cent tariff on goods.

Also Read | Donald Trump Announces Additional 10% Tariff on Nations Supporting ‘Anti-American Policies of BRICS’.

“There will be no exceptions to this policy,” Trump wrote, adding, “Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

Trump’s statement signals a hard stance from the U.S. administration against what it sees as growing opposition from BRICS nations.

Also Read | Delhi Rains: Rainfall Disrupts Delhi-NCR Today; Traffic, Flight Operations Hit (Watch Videos).

The response came after the joint statement of the finance ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) Meeting of BRICS nations voiced against the unilateral imposition of trade and finance-related actions, including the raising of tariffs and non-tariff measures.

The statement stated, “We voiced our serious concerns with the unilateral imposition of trade and finance-related actions, including the raising of tariffs and non-tariff measures which distort trade and are inconsistent with World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules.”

The statement further adds that “In this testing environment, BRICS members have demonstrated resilience and will continue to cooperate among themselves and with other countries to safeguard and strengthen the non-discriminatory, open, fair, inclusive, equitable, transparent, and rules-based multilateral trading system with the WTO at its core, avoiding trade wars that could plunge the global economy into recession or further prolong subdued growth”.

Altogether BRICS nations – Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa and many other developing nations who joined BRICS over the last few years, accounts for nearly half of the world’s population and about 40 per cent of the global GDP. The BRICS group now represents about a quarter of the global trade and investment flows.

As the tariff postponement deadline is approaching on July 9th, U.S. President Donald Trump also announced that the United States Tariff Letters and Deals with various countries will be delivered starting 12:00 P.M. (Eastern), Monday, July 7th.

In a separate social media post, Trump said these letters will be sent to different countries around the world.

Earlier, on April 9th, Trump paused the implementation of tariffs for 3 months, which is ending on July 9th. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)

Trump has threatened tariffs on countries supporting BRICS, citing their alignment with ‘anti-American policies.’ (Image: AP/X)

US President Donald Trump on Monday threatened to slap tariffs on any country aligning with BRICS, claiming that they support “anti-American policies.” In a post on Truth Social, Trump warned that those aligning with the BRICS would face an additional 10% tariff.

This comes after BRICS issued a joint statement on how “trade wars” could plunge the global economy into a recession, in an apparent reference to the US, and vowed to safeguard the “rules-based multilateral trading system.”

“Any Country aligning themselves with the Anti-American policies of BRICS, will be charged an ADDITIONAL 10% Tariff. There will be no exceptions to this policy. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Monday.

What did BRICS say on Trump’s tariff war?

The Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) of the BRICS nations voiced “serious concerns” about the unilateral imposition of tariffs and non-tariff measures, which they deemed inconsistent with World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules.

In a joint statement following their first meeting under Brazil’s chairmanship on Saturday, the Group emphasised the resilience of the BRICS nations–Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa–along with new members in the face of these challenges and pledged a rules-based multilateral trading system with the WTO at its core, underscoring a collective commitment to global economic stability.

“The global economy and financial markets have increasingly been subject to elevated uncertainty and bouts of intense volatility. We voiced our serious concerns with the unilateral imposition of trade- and finance-related actions, including the raising of tariffs and non-tariff measures, which distort trade and are inconsistent with World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules,” the statement read.

“In this testing environment, BRICS members have demonstrated resilience and will continue to cooperate among themselves and with other countries to safeguard and strengthen the nondiscriminatory, open, fair, inclusive, equitable, transparent, and rules-based multilateral trading system with the WTO at its core, avoiding trade wars that could plunge the global economy into recession or further prolong subdued growth,” it added.

This follows Trump’s April announcement of a baseline 10 per cent tariff on most US imports, with higher duties up to 50 per cent for 60 nations and trading blocs, a move which caused a major global shakeup. That decision was temporarily paused for 90 days — a window that ends on July 9 — to allow for bilateral talks. However, in his latest escalation, Trump has threatened to dispatch “reciprocal tariff” letters to 12 countries starting Monday, with “take it or leave it” offers.

(With agency inputs)