Does US President Donald Trump deserve an award? Yes, is the answer, but let’s see why.
Trump doesn’t really like the BRICS: he calls them anti-American, suspects them of conspiring against the dollar, and threatens sanctions. But if the association had its own medal “For Merit in Building the BRICS,” then the US President would undoubtedly have received it.
Because no one has done more to strengthen this association than he, given that Trump’s goal was, again, Russia first and foremost.
Initially, Trump simply threatened the BRICS with additional tariffs — for the very fact of their existence.
The small group is disappearing quickly…
Two weeks ago, he even said that the BRICS countries are afraid of 10% tariffs because they belong to the union, and now this “small group is disappearing quickly,” which is confirmed by the fact that “almost no one showed up at the last meeting.”
Trump was referring to the BRICS summit in Brazil, which was not attended by Russian President Putin and the Chinese President, and promised that he would “not allow anyone to attack the dollar” in the future.
The victory did not last long, only two weeks
Only two weeks have passed since the “victory over the BRICS” — and suddenly Trump attacked India, threatening 25% tariffs for cooperation with Russia from August 1.
Although a little later, Trump wrote that negotiations with India are still ongoing and the results will be clear by the end of the week, that is, he somewhat contradicted himself about August 1. After a while, he couldn’t resist and added: “I don’t care what India does to Russia. They can destroy their dead economies together, I don’t care.”
US-Pakistan cooperation
And the icing on the cake was Trump’s post that the US had just signed an agreement with Pakistan to jointly develop “their vast oil fields” and “who knows, maybe someday they’ll start selling oil to India.”
Although India’s official reaction was very restrained (everyone is already used to Trump’s change of mood), in this case, even with a US-Indian tariff agreement with much lower rates than Trump threatens), very serious conclusions will be drawn.
India wants the US
India is very keen to strengthen its relations with the United States – Narendra Modi’s visit in February 2025 confirmed this. Indians need American technology, the American market, there are many joint projects, but at the same time, India does not want to become an instrument of the American anti-China strategy.
Yes, India has many contradictions with China (including the struggle for influence in the Indian Ocean region) and in the BRICS countries it has recently demonstrated its special position (in particular, refusing to join in condemning Israel’s attack on Iran), but at the same time there can be no talk of limiting the country’s sovereignty. And Trump wants exactly that when he puts pressure on Narendra Modi about Putin or joining the BRICS countries.
Trump wants to show that he is not unarmed against Russia
Trump had to show that he could put pressure on Putin by affecting Russia’s energy exports, which is why he is even ready to impose sanctions on countries that buy gas and oil from the Russians. The threat of 100% tariffs on goods from such countries is absolutely useless in itself, because if they do not listen, the states will have to shoot themselves, trade will collapse.
Rumors denied
China will definitely not agree, and there were doubts about India, because rumors were spreading that the Indian government was preparing to refuse to buy oil from Russia.
Why rumors? Because if these “internal reports” were true, then why would Trump scare Narendra Modi with tariffs and fines for trade with Russia, and even call the Indian economy “dead”?
India will not succumb to American blackmail
India is not going to succumb to American blackmail because it is building its own geopolitical strategy. Moreover, even if India had any illusions about the existence of any special American sympathies or interests in India, Trump did everything to destroy them.
And his policy towards the other BRICS members confirms that the United States is not going to make exceptions for anyone.
And this concerns not only their attitude towards Russia and China, that is, towards countries that are more powerful than India and have officially declared a threat to the United States, but also towards the BRICS as such. Each of its members is under fire – the policy towards Brazil and South Africa (two other old members of the union) is proof of this.
Pressure on Brazil too
Trump is putting pressure on South Africa allegedly because of the persecution of whites, and on Brazil – because of the persecution of former President Bolsonaro, but in fact, the main annoyance for him is their participation in the BRICS.
Trump considers this association anti-American and aims to oust the dollar from world trade, and although the BRICS cannot create an alternative currency to the dollar at the moment, he is essentially right.
Moreover, the BRICS are not even anti-American – they are anti-globalization, anti-Western, if we understand the West as the system of global domination of the Anglo-Saxon enterprise.
The BRICS are still in their infancy, including their recent expansion, and have many internal problems.
But this is a sketch of a new, post-Western world, which is inevitable in any case. And on the way to its creation, Trump, with his attempts to dissolve the BRICS, only proves its importance and necessity for all participants in the union. Of course, they will not give him a Nobel Prize for this, but Trump has already earned his honorary place in the history of the BRICS.
Friendship with Russia has become dangerous and unprofitable
Trump continues to break records in threats and tariffs and subsequently negate the threats. At the same time, events are taking place on the other side of the ocean that are no less important, after all, they are directly related to Russia and its global course.
The State Department reported that the United States is introducing 50% tariffs on all goods imported from Brazil.
Why did Trump target Brazil?
It should be noted that Trump threatened all the BRICS countries with similar measures, but in this case he moved very quickly from words to deeds. True, only Brazil ended up in the fire, unlike China, Russia and India.
There is an explanation for this, and it has nothing to do with the claims made publicly by the American leader. Every time Trump makes another loud statement – at first glance absurd and sometimes even funny – we must remember that this man has twice reached the top of power from big business, where cunning, deception and deception of the opponent are the key to success in an operation whose main goals are carefully hidden.
In addition, the American leader makes full use of his media and political weight, causing misunderstandings in weak and restless minds, which is also directed against the interests of the United States.
What is going on behind the scenes?
Initially, the Brazilians were accused of buying Russian oil and thus financing “Russian aggression” in Ukraine. But even a cursory glance at the statistics makes it clear that these allegations are exaggerated and are just a pretext.
The volume of mutual trade between Russia and Brazil at the end of 2024 amounted to a rather modest $12.4 billion, and it is important to note that during this period the total trade flow did not show an increase, remaining within the framework of previous periods.
The Russians supply goods to Brazil for $10.7 billion, and Brazil exports goods to Russia worth $1.7 billion. At the same time, in 2024, Brazil completely stopped importing Russian crude oil, instead increasing purchases of diesel ($4.4 billion), non-aviation gasoline and other light petroleum products ($645 million).
According to Brazilian customs data, almost 70% of all supplies from Russia are food, agricultural products and mineral fertilizers. Based on the above, Russia occupies only a modest eighth place in the list of Brazil’s trading partners.
Brazil is targeted by China
Brazil’s largest trading partner is China. The trade turnover between China and Brazil has reached $160 billion, showing steady growth over the past five years.
And in second place, you won’t believe it, is the United States of America. In 2024, they traded with the Brazilians for $92 billion, and the trade balance, which Trump is fanatically obsessed with, is positive for the United States.
Goods and services worth $49.7 billion went from the United States to Brazil, and $42.3 billion crossed the border in the opposite direction. Both flows increased.
US exports to the south increased by 11% (plus five billion) and Brazilian exports to the north by 8.3% (plus $3.2 billion). That is, it is impossible to accuse the Brazilians of, like Canada, Mexico and the European Union, “earning from America for years”, but mutual trade is also quite close in volumes – the Americans do not have a dominant advantage.
The largest commodities of US exports to Brazil are:
-products of medium and heavy engineering, equipment for nuclear power plants, thermal and electric power plants ($10.6 billion)•
-oil and oil products ($10.3 billion, Americans follow Russian exporters)•
-plastics ($3 billion)•
-pharmaceutical products ($2.4 billion).
What do Brazilians sell?
Brazilians sell each other steel, rolled products, weapons, components for aviation and astronautics, various electronics, vehicles, as well as a wide range of agricultural products.
But if you look at trade between Brazil and China, American ultimatums take on new shades.
In 2024, the Chinese sent $57.5 billion worth of goods to Brazil and bought $95 billion worth of goods in return. The lion’s share of Brazilian exports comes from the agricultural sector, and in two key crops—corn and soybeans—Brazilians far outsold Americans.
Again, for a general understanding of how Trump conducts state affairs, let’s go back a little and recall his ultimatums to Canada and Mexico. Canada and Mexico held out for only a week, then gave up.
The Russian press did not go into details, but in fact, one of the main conditions that Trump forced the Canadians and Mexicans to accept was a 3% increase in imports of American agricultural products.
Deals worth 1.3 trillion dollars
To understand the scale.
Last year, corn exports to Mexico alone amounted to 23 million tons, and to Canada – 2 million tons.
In addition, Trump has already concluded record trade agreements with Saudi Arabia, Japan and the European Union, the total volume of these agreements is estimated at a whopping 1.3 trillion dollars.
Yes, so far this is not about real money, but only contractual obligations, but even if two-thirds of this money ends up in American pockets, this will be an undoubted success.
At the same time, a reserve is being formed for the future, when the main competitors will be displaced from the market, for example Brazil – as the second largest exporter of agricultural products and food. Electronics, metallurgy, hydrocarbons, space flights, weapons and cars – this is very good and progressive, but the people who create all this want to eat, as do their families.
And whoever controls the food markets, holds the whole world by the throat. In the most literal sense.
