Trump declared on Truth Social: “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 did not elaborate on what he meant by “anti-American policies.”

A social media post by the US president threatening a 10 per cent extra tariff on pro-BRICS countries raised tempers among leaders of the 11-nation group.

Leaders of the BRICS group of emerging economies meeting for their annual summit had hoped to downplay any differences with the U.S. But even a toned down group proclamation drew the ire of President Trump.