What happened
President Donald Trump Wednesday announced plans to impose a 50% tariff on all Brazilian imports, in part due to the treatment of its far-right former leader Jair Bolsonaro. In a letter posted on social media, Trump accused Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of leading a "witch hunt" against Bolsonaro, who is facing prosecution over his alleged role in a plot to overturn the country's 2022 election. The threatened tariffs on Brazil, Latin America's biggest economy, would be the highest yet imposed on any nation by the Trump administration.
Who said what
In his letter to the Brazilian president, commonly known as Lula, Trump blasted the treatment of his ally Bolsonaro as an "international disgrace" and said his trial "should end IMMEDIATELY!" In response, Lula said Brazil would "not accept being abused by anyone."
This tariff hike is clearly "tied to the fact that Lula beat Trump's friend," former U.S. trade official Brad Setser told Reuters, and it "shows the danger of having tariffs that are under the unilateral control of one man." This is "about punishment, not trade," said Bloomberg, and Trump is emboldened by "the lack of any serious negative effects" so far from his trade war.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What next?
Brazil imported over $42 billion in goods to the U.S. last year, from crude oil to steel and coffee, but this 50% blanket tariff threatens the "potential collapse of a trading relationship with one of the few countries where the U.S. runs a trade surplus," said Axios. Trump's letter said the new rate would take effect on August 1.
-
The Liberal Democrats: on the march?Talking Point After winning their highest number of seats in 2024, can the Lib Dems marry ‘stunts’ with a ‘more focused electoral strategy’?
-
Why Trump is so focused on getting a Nobel Peace PrizeThe Explainer A recent poll found that three-quarters of Americans say Trump doesn’t deserve the award
-
Trump declares new tariffs on drugs, trucks, furnitureSpeed Read He's putting tariffs of 25% on semi trucks, 30% on upholstered furniture, 50% on kitchen and bathroom cabinetry and 100% on certain drugs
-
Amazon reaches ‘historic’ $2.5B Prime settlementspeed read The company allegedly tricked customers into signing up for Prime membership that was then difficult to cancel
-
Trump DOJ indicts Comey, longtime Trump targetSpeed Read The president is using the Justice Department to prosecute his political enemies
-
Trump’s plan for a government shutdown: mass firingsIN THE SPOTLIGHT As lawmakers scramble to avoid a shutdown, the White House is making plans for widespread layoffs that could lead to a permanent federal downsizing
-
Gunman kills 1 detainee, wounds 2 at ICE facilitySpeed Read A sniper shot three detainees at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office before fatally shooting himself
-
Trump DOJ reportedly rushing to indict ComeySpeed Read Former FBI Director James Comey oversaw the initial 2016 investigation into ties between the Trump campaign and Russia
