‘Go find another sucker’: Donald Trump warns BRICS nations against plot to weaken US

Donald Trump is steamrollering ahead in his plan to reinstate the US as a superpower, threatening massive consequences against a plot to eviscerate the dollar.

Donald Trump is steamrollering ahead in his plan to reinstate the US as a superpower, threatening massive consequences against a perceived plot to eviscerate the US dollar.

Mr Trump has built his campaign around the idea of US independence and has regularly questioned the impact of overseas powers on the deterioration of America’s economy. The BRICS alliance, consisting of major superpowers like China, India and Russia, has long been a point of concern for US nationalists.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has particularly pushed for greater cooperation with non-Western neighbours amid heavy sanctions placed on his nation following the outbreak of the Ukraine war. In October, Mr Putin called for a “multipolar world order” at a BRICS summit in Moscow.

Around 20 leaders, including those from China, India, Turkey, and Iran, had gathered to discuss sweeping plans, including the development of a BRICS-led international payment system.

Russia has touted the platform as an attractive alternative to Western-led international organisations like the G7.

“The process of forming a multipolar world order is underway, a dynamic and irreversible process,” Putin said at the official opening of the summit.

‘The process of forming a multipolar world order is underway, a dynamic and irreversible process.’

MORE: Ivanka reveals ‘hurtful toll’ behind Trump snub

The BRICS organisation was “strengthening its authority in international affairs”, Putin said, as he called on its members to consider how they could address the most pressing issues on the global agenda, including “acute regional conflicts”.

But those comments have not sat well with the soon-to-be Trump administration, who have doubled down on their pledge to introduce policies that will primarily strengthen the US.

Mr Trump has now threatened to impose a 100 per cent tariff on the BRICS group nations if any of their schemes undercut the US dollar.

“We require a commitment … that they will neither create a new BRICS Currency, nor back any other Currency to replace the mighty US Dollar or, they will face 100 per cent Tariffs,” Mr Trump wrote on his Truth Social website.

The BRICS group has picked up steam since its inception in 2009 and has now expanded to include countries such as Iran, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.

Altogether the BRICS coalition accounts for a significant minority of the world’s economic output.

Mr Trump has now threatened to impose a 100 per cent tariff on the BRICS group nations if any of their schemes undercut the US dollar.

Around 20 leaders, including from China, India, Turkey and Iran, gathered to discuss sweeping plans in October, including the development of a BRICS-led international payment system.

MORE: High roller Trump kids’ multimillion dollar digs

At the Kazan summit in October, Moscow secured a joint declaration encouraging the “strengthening of correspondent banking networks within BRICS and enabling settlements in local currencies in line with BRICS Cross-Border Payments Initiative.”

However, at the end of the summit, Putin indicated that little progress had been made on launching a possible competitor to the Belgium-based SWIFT financial messaging system.

“As for SWIFT and any alternatives, we have not created and are not creating any alternatives,” Putin told reporters at the end of the summit.

He added: “As for a unified BRICS currency, we are not considering that question at the moment.” Trump has vowed to pursue a protectionist agenda, threatening hefty tariffs on neighbours and rivals.

If BRICS countries continue with their plans, Trump warned, they “should expect to say goodbye to selling into the wonderful US Economy,” he wrote.

“They can go find another ‘sucker!’ There is no chance that the BRICS will replace the US Dollar in International Trade, and any Country that tries should wave goodbye to America.”