US president Donald Trump has said he plans to impose a 50 per cent tariff on all Brazilian imports, partly in retaliation for what he sees as a “witch hunt” against his political ally, former president Jair Bolsonaro, who is facing trial for attempting a coup.
In a letter to Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Mr Trump wrote that the new tariffs would take effect August 1st.
“The way that Brazil has treated former President Bolsonaro, a Highly Respected Leader throughout the World during his Term, including by the United States, is an international disgrace.”
In his letter, Mr Trump said the 50 per cent tariff was needed to “have the Level Playing Field we must have with your Country” and “to rectify the grave injustices of the current regime.”
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He also incorrectly said that the United States had a trade deficit with Brazil. For years, the United States has generally maintained a trade surplus with Brazil, including a $650 million surplus in the first three months of 2025, on $20 billion in trade between the two nations, according to the American Chamber of Commerce for Brazil.
Mr Trump wrote that the tariffs were also in response to “SECRET and UNLAWFUL Censorship Orders to US Social Media platforms” and that he had ordered US officials to open a trade investigation into Brazil for “continued attacks on the Digital Trade activities of American Companies.”
Justice Alexandre de Moraes, the Brazilian supreme court justice who is overseeing the case against Mr Bolsonaro, has ordered tech companies to take down hundreds of accounts that he said threatened Brazil’s democracy. His moves have made him a top target of the right in Brazil and the United States.
On Monday, Mr Trump publicly criticised the criminal case against Mr Bolsonaro, which focuses on the former president’s attempts to hold on to power after losing Brazil’s 2022 election.
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Mr Lula quickly fired back. “I think it’s very wrong and very irresponsible for a president to be threatening others on social media,” the Brazilian president told reporters Monday. “People have to learn that respect is a good thing.”
He added about Mr Trump: “He needs to know that the world has changed. We don’t want an emperor.”
Brazil’s supreme court is widely expected to convict Mr Bolsonaro later this year, potentially leading to prison time.
In January, Mr Bolsonaro said he hoped Mr Trump would come to his aid, though he did not clarify how.
After he lost the 2022 election, Mr Bolsonaro questioned the results — despite a review from Brazil’s military that supported them — and looked to Brazil’s Constitution to find ways to prevent Mr Lula from taking office. That included meeting with military commanders about taking control of the government, which the majority of them refused to do. - New York Times
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