Trump singles out Brazil for 50 percent tariffs, citing political motives

United States President Donald Trump has continued to people letters announcing individualised tariff hikes for overseas trading partners.

But connected Wednesday, 1 of those letters was antithetic from the rest.

While astir of the letters are virtually identical, denouncing commercialized relationships that are “far from reciprocal”, Trump’s missive to Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva took a decidedly much idiosyncratic — and much confrontational — approach.

“Due successful portion to Brazil’s insidious attacks connected Free Elections, and the cardinal Free Speech Rights of Americans”, Trump wrote that helium would beryllium charging Brazil an other 50-percent taxation connected immoderate goods it exports to the US, abstracted from existing “sectoral tariffs”.

“Please recognize that the 50% fig is acold little than what is needed to person the Level Playing Field we indispensable person with your Country,” Trump added. “And it is indispensable to person this to rectify the sedate injustices of the existent regime.”

The missive marked the biggest onslaught yet successful Trump’s escalating feud with Lula, arsenic helium seeks to unit Brazil to driblet transgression charges against a chap far-right leader, Jair Bolsonaro.

Known arsenic the “Trump of the Tropics”, Bolsonaro, a erstwhile service captain, led Brazil for a azygous term, from 2019 to 2023.

Like Trump, Bolsonaro refused to concede his predetermination nonaccomplishment to a left-wing rival. Like Trump, Bolsonaro besides raised questions astir the accuracy of the results, including by voicing doubts astir physics voting machines.

And similar Trump, Bolsonaro has faced ineligible repercussions, with tribunal cases weighing whether helium could beryllium criminally liable for alleged actions helium took to overturn his defeat.

In Bolsonaro’s case, the predetermination successful question took spot successful October 2022, against the existent president, Lula. The results were narrow, but Lula edged Bolsonaro retired successful a run-off race, earning 50.9 percent of the vote.

Still, Bolsonaro did not admit his decision and alternatively filed a legal complaint to contention the predetermination results.

Meanwhile, his followers attacked constabulary headquarters, blocked highways, and adjacent stormed authorities buildings successful the capital, Brasilia, successful an evident effort to spark a subject backlash against Lula.

Prosecutors, meanwhile, person accused Bolsonaro of conspiring with allies down the scenes to signifier a coup d’etat, 1 that mightiness person seen Supreme Court justices arrested and a caller predetermination called.

According to the indictment, Bolsonaro, arsenic the outgoing president, considered provoking these changes by calling a “state of siege”, which would person empowered the subject to instrumentality action.

One of the different possibilities reportedly discussed was poisoning Lula.

Bolsonaro and 33 others were charged successful February, and the ex-president’s lawsuit is ongoing earlier the Brazilian Supreme Court.

The charges came arsenic the effect of a national constabulary probe published successful November 2024, which recommended a transgression trial. Bolsonaro, however, has denied immoderate wrongdoing and has framed the proceedings arsenic a politically motivated attack.

Trump himself has faced 2 transgression indictments – 1 connected the authorities level, the different national – for allegedly seeking to overturn his nonaccomplishment successful the 2020 election. He, too, called those cases attempts to derail his governmental career.

In caller days, Trump has highlighted what helium sees arsenic parallels betwixt their cases. On July 7, helium wrote connected societal media that helium empathised with what was happening to Bolsonaro: “It happened to me, times 10.”

He reprised that taxable successful Wednesday’s letter, announcing the melodramatic summation successful tariffs against Brazil.

“The mode that Brazil has treated erstwhile President Bolsonaro, a Highly Respected Leader passim the World during his term, including by the United states, is an planetary disgrace,” Trump said.

“This proceedings should not beryllium taking place,” helium added. “It is simply a Witch Hunt that should extremity IMMEDIATELY!”

In summation to ramping up tariffs against Brazil, Trump revealed successful his missive that helium had directed US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer to analyse Brazil for unfair practices nether the Trade Act of 1974.

This is not the archetypal clip that Trump has lashed retired astatine Brazil, though. In February, the Trump Media and Technology Group filed a Florida suit against Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, arguing that his decisions curtailed online state of code successful the US.

De Moraes had besides overseen the probe into Bolsonaro’s alleged coup attempt, and helium is simply a people of disapproval among galore connected the acold right.

While Trump’s tariff missive contained the modular connection alleging that the US’s trading narration with Brazil was “very unfair”, the US really enjoys a commercialized surplus with the South American country.

According to the Office of the US Trade Representative, successful 2024, the US imported a full of $42.3bn from Brazil. But that was dwarfed by the magnitude it exported to the country: $49.7bn.

In short, Brazil’s purchases from the US amounted to astir $7.4bn much than US purchases from Brazil.

Still, Trump has cited uneven commercialized relationships arsenic the information for his tariffs, though helium has besides utilized them to power different countries’ policies, peculiarly with regards to immigration, integer services and transnational cause smuggling.

On Wednesday, Bolsonaro took to societal media to erstwhile again proclaim his innocence. In a abstracted case, helium was barred from holding nationalist bureau successful Brazil for a play of 8 years.

“Jair Bolsonaro is persecuted due to the fact that helium remains live successful the fashionable consciousness,” the ex-president wrote successful the 3rd person. “Even retired of power, helium remains the astir remembered sanction – and the astir feared. That’s wherefore they effort to annihilate him politically, morally, and judicially.”

He besides reposted a connection from Trump himself: “Leave the Great Former President of Brazil alone. WITCH HUNT!!!”

Lula, meanwhile, responded to Trump’s erstwhile tariff threats connected Monday by saying, “The satellite has changed. We don’t privation an emperor.”