Brics leaders reject Trump’s ‘anti-American’ claim, Lula says 'world doesn’t need an emperor'

Brics leaders on Monday rejected Donald Trump’s claim that the bloc is “anti-American.” Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said the world “doesn’t need an emperor” after the US President threatened new tariffs on Brics countries.

Trump issued his threat on Sunday night as the US prepared to finalize multiple trade deals before his July 9 deadline for imposing “retaliatory tariffs.”

Speaking at the end of the Brics summit in Rio de Janeiro, Lula responded firmly to Trump’s warning, saying, “The world has changed. We don’t want an emperor.”

He described Brics as a group of countries looking for new ways to organize the global economy and said, “I think that’s why Brics makes some people uncomfortable.”

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Back in February, Trump warned Brics nations they could face “100 per cent tariffs” if they tried to weaken the US dollar’s role in global trade. By that time, Brazil’s Brics presidency had already scaled back efforts to create a common currency for the bloc, an idea some members proposed last year.

On Monday, Lula repeated his view that global trade shouldn’t rely only on the US dollar.

“The world needs to find a way for our trade relations not to depend on the dollar,” Lula told journalists.

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He added, “Of course, we have to do this carefully and responsibly. Our central banks need to talk with central banks in other countries.”

Other Brics leaders also responded to Trump’s threats, though in calmer terms.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said the group does not aim to compete with other world powers and expressed hope for reaching a trade deal with the United States.

“Tariffs should not be used as a tool for coercion and pressure,” said Mao Ning, a spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry in Beijing. She added that BRICS supports “win-win cooperation” and “does not target any country.”