Sourabh Gupta, a Senior Fellow at the Institute for China-America Studies (ICAS), sharply rejected recent White House advisor Peter Navarro's criticisms against BRICS as "wrong on so many points in his single sentence."
"If he thinks that they suck like vampires with their trade practices, then he can file cases against them at the WTO. Of course, he is aware that the US will lose all these cases," Gupta contended.
He also added that BRICS economies are not significantly reliant on US trade. "The ratio of trade to GDP, including exports to the US, is typically lower for most of the BRICS than for their middle-income counterparts. They are largely less trade-dependent and will get along quite well without exporting to the US."
Navarro, a senior White House advisor, had targeted the bloc on Monday, stating that "none of these countries can survive if they don't sell it to the United States.
In an interview with Trump's former advisor Steve Bannon, he compared BRICS members to "vampires" and questioned the sustainability of unity within the group. "When they export to the United States their exports, they are vampires, sucking our blood dry through their unfair trade practices. I don't see how the BRICS alliance holds together because historically they all detest each other and kill each other," Navarro explained.
The comments were made as the leaders of BRICS—a bloc of 10 countries including China, India, Russia, and Brazil—met virtually on Monday. Members spoke in unison of solidarity against rising unilateralism and in favor of reform in global economic governance.
Speaking for Prime Minister Narendra Modi on India's behalf, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar pointed out that market access and trade continue to be "key issues" in global economic discourse. He emphasized the necessity of "constructive and cooperative approaches to encourage sustainable trade" and proposed that "the BRICS itself can lead the way by reviewing trade flows among member states."
The US government has in recent months intensified its criticism of BRICS. Last week, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick called on India to "stop being part of BRICS" in an interview with Bloomberg. Trump himself in July threatened retaliatory measures, saying countries joining the bloc would incur further tariffs.
Any nation joining the Anti-American policies of BRICS, will be assessed an EXTRA 10% tariff. There are no exceptions to this policy," Trump stated on Truth Social on July 7.
Gupta added that Navarro's remarks closely reflect Trump's hardline stance. "Navarro is taking his cue from Trump's disdain for BRICS to heighten the perception in propagandist language. He is the most furvored evangelist of the trade aspect of the MAGA phenomenon. His perceptions on trade align almost 100% with the president's perceptions. He is veritably the president's 'mini-me' on trade policy," he said.
Elaborating on the character of the bloc, Gupta said BRICS must not be misinterpreted as a military or strategic alliance. "BRICS is not an alliance; was never meant to be and never will be one. Their entry into the BRICS is a general political statement of non-confidence in American institutional economic leadership," he stated.
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