This latest message from Trump, who will take office next year on January 20, was aimed at BRIC, a bloc of mostly developing countries.
Leading politicians of Brazil and Russia proposed to create a The BRICS currency to reduce the dominance of the US dollar in world trade. But internal disagreements slowed any progress.
“We are demanding commitments from these countries that they will neither create a new BRICS currency nor support any other currency to replace the mighty US dollar, or they will face 100% tariffs and have to say goodbye to sales to the wonderful US economy “, Trump wrote about this in his social network Truth Social.
“They can go find another scumbag,” he said.
But some Trump associates suggested his recent announcements were a negotiating tactic meant more as an opening bid than a promise.
Asked about the president-elect’s proposed use of tariffs, Republican Senator Ted Cruz responded by noting “the importance of leverage.”
“You look at the threat of tariffs against Mexico and Canada, and that will lead to immediate action,” the Texan said Sunday on CBS News’ Face the Nation.
Prime Minister of Canada on Friday Justin Trudeau made an unplanned trip to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Florida estate, seemingly to stave off possible 25% tariffs on Canadian goods heading south.
Trump’s pick for Treasury Secretary, Scott Besant, previously suggested that the president-elect’s threats of major tariff hikes were part of his negotiating strategy.
“My general view is that at the end of the day, he’s a free trader,” Besant said of Trump in an interview with the Financial Times before he was nominated for the role.
“It’s escalation to de-escalation.”
