UPDATE - Trump threatens 10% tariff on BRICS countries, claims group 'set up to hurt' US

​​​​​​​ADDS REMARKS FROM TRUMP, ADDS 2ND DECK

By Merve Aydogan and Mucahithan Avcioglu

HAMILTON, Canada (AA) - US President Donald Trump warned Tuesday that countries affiliated with BRICS will face a 10% tariff, accusing the group of working against the US.

"They have to pay 10% if they're in BRICS because BRICS was set up to hurt us," Trump argued during a Cabinet meeting at the White House.

"BRICS was set up to degenerate our dollar and take our dollar or sustain it, and take it off as the standard. That's okay, if they want to play that game, but I can play that game, too," he added.

Saying that "anybody that's in BRICS is getting a 10% charge," Trump said that "they're gonna have to pay 10% tariff just for that one thing, and they won't be a member alone."

On trade relations with Europe, Trump said the EU has changed its tone. "They treated us very badly until recently. Now they're treating us very nicely. It's like a different world."

"We're probably two days off from sending them a letter. We are talking to them. I just want you to (know) a letter means a (tariffs) deal," he said.

Trump took aim at South Korea, calling the US military presence there a financial loss.

"We rebuilt South Korea. We stayed there. It's okay. We rebuilt it. And we stayed there. And they pay us very little for the military," he said. "I said to South Korea as an example, you know, we give you free military, essentially very little, and I think you should pay us $10 billion a year. And they went crazy, but they agreed," Trump claimed.

He said the US has "45,000 soldiers in South Korea," adding, "It's tremendous money for them, and it's a tremendous loss for us."

Trump also threatened to impose up to 200% tariffs on pharmaceutical imports “very soon.”

“They’re going to be tariffs at a very high rate, like 200%,” he said, but indicated that those levies would not be implemented immediately, stating he would "give people about a year, year-and-a-half" before fixing the tariffs.

He said he would impose a 50% tariff on copper imports, not specifying the date of the tariff.

“Today, we’re doing copper,” Trump said. “I believe the tariff on copper, we’re going to make it 50%.”