Lula tells Trump world does not want 'emperor' after US threatens BRICS tariff

8/7/2025 6:21

Developing nations at the BRICS summit on Monday brushed away an accusation from President Donald Trump that they are "anti-American," with Brazil's president saying the world does not need an emperor after the U.S. leader threatened extra tariffs on the bloc.



Trump's threat on Sunday night came as the U.S. government prepared to finalize dozens of trade deals with a range of countries before his July 9 deadline for the imposition of significant "retaliatory tariffs."



The Trump administration does not intend to immediately impose an additional 10% tariff against BRICS nations, as threatened, but will proceed if individual countries take policies his administration deems "anti-American," according to a source familiar with the matter.



At the end of the BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro, Lula was defiant when asked by journalists about Trump's tariff threat: "The world has changed. We don't want an emperor."