HONG KONG — Weeks before he returned to the White House on Jan. 20, United States President Donald Trump issued a pointed warning to the Brics countries. 'Go find another sucker,' he wrote on his social media platform Truth Social, threatening the group's nine members with 100-percent tariffs should they attempt to challenge the dollar's global dominance.

Trump's warning came on the heels of his campaign promise to impose a 25-percent tariff on imported goods from Canada and Mexico on his first day in office. China, the primary target of Trump's protectionism, is expected to face an additional 10 percent tariff. While this is hardly surprising, given the escalating trade war between China and the US, Trump has also directed his ire at India, a founding member of the Brics and one of America's key allies.