Trump threatens 50% tariffs on Brazil if it doesn’t stop the Bolsonaro ‘witch hunt’ trial
By: Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened Brazil with a crippling tariff of 50% starting August 1, according to a letter he sent to the country’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
In the letter posted on Truth Social, Trump alleged Lula is undertaking a “Witch Hunt that should end IMMEDIATELY!” over charges against its right-wing former president, Jair Bolsonaro.
Bolsonaro, who has bragged about his closeness with Trump, is facing trial for allegedly attempting to stage a coup against Lula.
Lula vowed to reciprocate if Trump follows through with his threat.
“Brazil is a sovereign nation with independent institutions and will not accept any form of tutelage,” Lula said in a post on X.
“Any measure to increase tariffs unilaterally will be responded to in light of Brazil’s Law of Economic Reciprocity,” he added.
This marks the first time in months another country has threatened to match Trump’s tariff threat.
Unlike the 21 other countries that have received letters from Trump this week, Brazil was not set to face “reciprocal” tariffs in April. Goods from there have instead been tariffed at a minimum of 10%, which is the rate Trump has been taxing most goods from countries that were set to face “reciprocal” tariffs.
And unlike the other 21 countries, the US ran a $6.8 billion trade surplus with Brazil last year, meaning the US exported more goods to there than it imported from there. That means Brazil’s 50% tariff on American goods could severely harm domestic businesses that rely on exporting goods there.
This is not the first time Trump has used the threat of tariffs to try to change other countries’ domestic policy decisions.
Earlier this year, he threatened 25% tariffs on Colombian exports that would grow to 50% if the country didn’t accept deportees from the US. (Colombia ultimately accepted the deportees and avoided those tariffs.) Trump also imposed tariffs on goods from Mexico, Canada and China over the role he alleges they play in facilitating illegal migration to the US and enabling fentanyl to reach the country.
But despite Trump’s discontent with the Bolsonaro trial, he wrote that “there will be no Tariff if Brazil, or companies within your Country, decide to build or manufacture product within the United States.” Trump’s made nearly identical offers in a slew of other letters he sent to heads of state this week.
Trump’s growing ‘hit list’
Other recipients of tariff letters on Wednesday included the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Moldova, Brunei, Algeria, Libya and Iraq, with rates going as high as 30% on goods they ship to the United States. The new tariffs go into effect August 1, pending negotiations.
The rates Trump said would be imposed on goods from Sri Lanka, Moldova, Iraq and Libya were lower than those he announced in early April. The rates on goods from the Philippines and Brunei were higher, compared to April levels. Meanwhile, the rate on goods from Algeria was the same (30%) as April levels.
The US and various trading partners have been negotiating new trade agreements since Trump announced so-called “reciprocal” tariffs back in April. Yet few deals have come to fruition .
During a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Trump said “a letter means a deal.” But that doesn’t appear to be how some countries are perceiving the missives.
In all the letters except the one sent to Brazil’s Lula, Trump wrote that he takes particular issue with the trade deficits the United States runs with other nations, meaning America buys more goods from there compared to how much American businesses export to those countries. Trump also said the tariffs would be set in response to other policies that he deems are impeding American goods from being sold abroad.
Trump has encouraged world leaders to manufacture goods in the United States to avoid tariffs. If they chose to retaliate by slapping higher tariffs on American goods, Trump threatened to tack that onto the rate charged on their country’s goods shipped to the United States.
Trump has now sent 22 letters on tariff rates to heads of state this week, and more could still come.
JPMorgan economists said in a note to clients on Wednesday titled “Another day, another step closer to Liberation Day” that the 50% tariff threat on Brazilian goods was “most surprising.” (“Liberation Day” refers to April 2, the day Trump held a Rose Garden event to announce “reciprocal” tariff rates.)
“It is possible these tariffs will never be implemented, as some in the market are hoping for,” the economists said, referring to Trump’s latest threats.
Wednesday at 12:01 a.m. ET was the initial deadline Trump set three months ago for countries to ink trade deals with the US or instantly face higher tariff rates. However, on Monday he extended that deadline to August 1.
Bolsonaro, often dubbed the “Trump of the Tropics,” is on trial in Brazil for charges related to an alleged plot to overturn the 2022 election results. He and dozens of associates have been charged with attempting a coup d’état, which prosecutors allege involved a plan to potentially assassinate elected President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Bolsonaro has denied wrongdoing.
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Trump is threatening Brazil with major tariffs because the Brazilian judicial system is prosecuting one of Trump's fascist allies for engaging in a coup against the elected government.
Magas support this.
economic extortion against another democracy by the leader of the free world in an effort to pressure their judicial system to rule in favor of another insurrection instigating criminal/traitor. not trump's first rodeo on those kinds of deals ...
maga!
Trumpy has never been anything more than a schoolyard bully.
Magas support this, too.
most economic forecasts put most of the burden of the expected negative ramifications of trump's tariff policies on the backs of his supporters. a midwest family of wheat and etc farmers I know used to be diehard trump supporters, but now not so much ...
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Brazil should respond with some 'demand/s' of its own. Let's see how that works for Trump! How much more of this 'bully' can decent people stomach?
Brazil imposing reciprocal 50% tariffs is going to "severely harm" American businesses. Hail Trump!
That's okay, Trump's just trying to help his friend... <sarc>
So the president is 'drunk' with power. We have the SCOTUS conservatives and the GOP house and senate to thank for that!
There's probably a minor Brazilian celebrity that insulted him on Instagram.
Trump is just sticking up for his fascist buddy Bolsonaro.
professional courtesy between criminal/traitors ...
brazil nut shells are too hard to open ...
Brazil nuts are a good source of Selenium. (in fact they have so much Selenium that you should only eat a few every day).
ROFL! Whatever, old man! No one believes your bullshit.
The current President of the United States has NO credibility whatsoever.
he's credible as any other certified narcissistic psychopath ...
Save for his support of Israel.
His alleged support for Israel has no credibility at all. He couldn't care less about Israel. His only interest in Israel is appeasing his Christian dominionist supporters who expect Jews to burn in hell for eternity as soon as all Jews are moved to Israel, which will mark the beginning of the dominionists' "end times" return of Jesus.
Trump pals around with vicious anti-Semites and constantly promotes anti-Semitic stereotypes.
So, in your opinion, he wouldn't mind for his daughter and grandchildren to burn in hell for all eternity?
High comedy.[✘]
The fact that he wants to appease Christian dominionists does not mean he shares their beliefs. He only pretends (badly) to share their beliefs in order to pander to them.
Okay, I agree that he may count them among his supporters, but his favourite daughter and her children being Jewish might be a major factor in his support of Israel. He has been critical of the American Jewish community for not voting for him, but the fact that they are mostly liberal-minded appears to have taken precedence over their support for the continued existence of the State of Israel.
Typical reactionary propaganda. Refuse to acknowledge the plain truth and post an exceptionally bigoted false narrative to support an anti-Semitic point of view.
He doesn't believe in hell or "eternity". It's all pandering by him.
Every liberal-minded Jew I know, and I know many, is firm in their support for the continued existence of the State of Israel.
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[✘] Lol. [✘] Sure.[✘]
You're claiming a Jew has an anti-Semitic point of view? That has to be one of the stupidest comments I've read on here in a very long time.
An ignorant comment replete with falsehoods. Again, typical reactionary propaganda.
Exactly.
the binding agent in his political coalition of morons, white supremacists, and neo-nazis ...
Given his past record, that could shift at any time . . .
As can anything he says or does.
And this is our 'best' forward-facing representative of 'us'? The United States has lost its capacity to be shamed.
So, he threatened to withhold aid to Ukraine unless they prosecuted Hunter Biden.
Now he's threatening to use tariffs to stop Brazil from prosecuting Bolsonaro?
He is using the power of his office to try to force other countries to either prosecute or not prosecute people, depending on how it affects him personally.
How is any of this ok?
he's immune to the US constitution and the law, his SCOTUS appointees and the other rwnj federalists on the bench said so ...
Well, you see, 77 million of the lowest common denominators decided that America was broken because it stopped bending over to rightwing conservative Christians. And when those folk stopped getting to fuck the rest of America in the ass as they had been since our founding, they decided to vote for an arsonist to burn it all down so they can rebuild it in their rightwing conservative Christo-fascist image.
xtian extremists and radical religious terrorists, domestic enemies ...
religious organizations are a social plague upon our national culture and the evolution of modern civilization ...
He fancies himself Emperor of the planet. It is a profound failure of the electorate that this lunatic had even a chance at the presidency.
it's an indictment of republican's negative influence on our public education system ...
I wish Canada had the balls that both China and Brazil do.
You've been awol too long.
What I can't understand is why all the nations that have been battered by Trump don't more forcefully turn their markets to and purchasing from each other and allow the USA to isolate itself, which it is trying to do anyway. Canada should be selling its lumber, oil and LNG to Europe and Asia, and surely whatever it purchases from the USA can be purchased even more cheaply from other nations. What the fuck is wrong with them? If Carney sucks up to Trump I'm humiliated.
Simple off the top of the head answer follows an old story , a bank robber was asked why he robbed banks , his simple reply was , because thats where the money is kept .
why keep trading with an abusive customer like the US? because they have the most disposable income to some in the world and they are willing to spend it on totally useless things , factor in they purchase an inordinate amount of goods necessary or otherwise they are a market that can not be ignored if one wants to make a profit .
Even if Trump is doing his best to make sure it ISN'T profitable?
If what Trump is putting tariffs on are necessities, then the purchasers simply will have to pay more for them and those who cannot afford them will just have to do without. Although, because of the pauses, and the corporations stocking up before the tariffs were effective, the axe is yet to fall, and THEN the inflation will start to really hurt.
maybe , maybe not ,
I usually like to do a mapled pork loin for the 4th , didnt do it this year because my preferred maple syrup from Quebec was not available , its all i use in cooking .
matter of fact i could find NO Canadian maple syrup in any of the local stores . all i could find was US sourced .
Normally I am not a fan of online shopping, but there are times when it's useful
people think im odd for wanting a specific areas product , i can say I can tell a very subtle taste difference from different areas , but then again who am i but some one who experiments with my cooking . too me ordering online was just not worth the hassle and wait .
So, because of Trump's tariff war, you did without.
yeah did without the maple and brown sugared pork loin and decided to do a greek porketta . wasnt the same but just as good . just had to warn folks not to stand behind me for a couple days .
I hope I don't get a ticket for posting that.
Shouldnt and i would object on your behalf if you did get one .
as i tried to explain , for me there are certain regions that have distinctive flavors , and i have seen that happen in the culinary world all the time .
Canada has a government commission that regulates maple syrup , and its quality , the US not so much to the same extent , I could have used US sourced maple syrup , the shelves were full of that , and at decent prices and NOT the corn or high fructose imposters , i just have found that a certain grade of light amber product works best for what i use it for in cooking as a baste and glaze . i think its all in the soil and the minerals where the trees are and the grading regulations that make it good for what i have found works for me .
as for other things , im shifting my presence on the site and sticking with a more , do as you will and make fun of things attitude , just dont expect everyone to think the same way or conform .
Yeah I can understant that, given how rural I live it can take two to three weeks to get an order. Lol I just received a replacement change tray for my 2016 Escape and guess what, it didn't fit (my fault for believing the advertisement and not getting measurements).
I don't know the figures, but I wonder if the entire EU doesn't spend as much (or almost as much) as Americans do?
I buy a lot of stuff on Amazon. (As a member of "Amazon Prime" I have their credit card which gives me 5% back on all purchases there. plus free shipping. And smaller discounts fron non-Amazon stores.
I buy brands I'm familiar with.
The main things I don't buy from them are things I need to see in front of me (I buy socks and underwear from them. but not someclothes because I want to see how they look).
Recently Amazon has made shipping really fast for most areas.
I'm not familiar with different brands of Maple Syrup, but I googled it-- here are the brands of Canadian Maple Syrup that Amazon sells.