'BRICS aren't going to fold, why set the bar at failure?': Ex-US treasury official slams Trump's pressure

Former U.S. Treasury official and Asia expert Evan Feigenbaum pushed back on Saturday against American attempts to isolate BRICS, stating bluntly that the group will not disband under pressure. "Spoiler alert: the BRICS aren't going to fold the group and go home because Washington is yelling about it and threatening tariffs. Why set the bar at failure?" Feigenbaum posted on X.

The Trump administration increasingly views BRICS as an anti-U.S. platform, and it wants to weaken the group. The U.S. has imposed 50 per cent tariffs on Indian imports - 25 per cent of which were levied as a penalty for India's energy trade with Russia. 

In July, US President Donald Trump warned that countries that side with the policies of the BRICS that go against US interests will be hit with an extra 10% tariff. "Any country aligning themselves with the Anti-American policies of BRICS, will be charged an ADDITIONAL 10% tariff," Trump wrote on social media.

India, however, is pushing back diplomatically. During a meeting of BRICS foreign ministers on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly on Saturday, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said the bloc must defend the multilateral trading system in the face of rising protectionism and tariff volatility. "When multilateralism is under stress, BRICS has stood firm as a strong voice of reason and constructive change," Jaishankar wrote on X.

"In a turbulent world, BRICS must reinforce the message of peacebuilding, dialogue, diplomacy and adherence to international law," he added. "As rising protectionism, tariff volatility and non-tariff barriers impact trade flows, BRICS must defend the multilateral trading system."

Jaishankar also used the meeting to reiterate India's call for comprehensive reform of the United Nations, particularly the Security Council. "Technology and innovation will define the next phase of BRICS cooperation," he said, noting India's upcoming chairship of the bloc in 2026. The country will focus on food and energy security, climate change, sustainable development, digital transformation, and innovation-driven partnerships.

At the IBSA (India-Brazil-South Africa) meeting, Jaishankar said the trio made "a strong call for the transformative reform of the UNSC." He also co-chaired the India-CELAC Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, which reaffirmed commitments to deepening cooperation across agriculture, trade, health, digital technology, and critical minerals. "India and CELAC also agreed on the urgent need to reform multilateral institutions to better represent the Voice of the Global South," Jaishankar said.

The BRICS Ministers of Foreign Affairs/International Relations held their annual meeting on the margins of the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly on Friday. The meeting was chaired by India in its capacity as the incoming BRICS Chair for 2026. 

The BRICS nations expressed concern over the proliferation of trade-restrictive actions in the form of “indiscriminate rising" of tariffs, particularly measures used as a means of “coercion”, cautioning that such practices risk marginalising the Global South countries. 

In a joint communiqué, the Ministers “expressed concern over proliferation of trade-restrictive actions, whether in the form of indiscriminate rising of tariffs and non-tariff measures, or protectionism, in particular measures used as a means of coercion that threaten to further reduce global trade, disrupt global supply chains, and introduce uncertainty into international economic and trade activities, potentially exacerbating existing economic disparities and affecting prospects for global economic development."   

The BRICS nations - Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates - voiced "serious concerns” about the rise of unilateral tariff and non-tariff measures which distort trade and are inconsistent with WTO rules.