Trump threatens Brazil with 50% tariffs

He accused Brazil's current president Lula of leading a 'witch hunt' against far-right former leader Jair Bolsonaro

Brazil's former president Jair Bolsonaro arrives for a rally in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in March
Brazil's former president Jair Bolsonaro arrives for a rally in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in March
(Image credit: Mauro Pimentel / AFP via Getty Images)

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.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

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.

Sign up
Explore More
Jessica Hullinger

Jessica Hullinger is a writer and former deputy editor of The Week Digital. Originally from the American Midwest, she completed a degree in journalism at Indiana University Bloomington before relocating to New York City, where she pursued a career in media. After joining The Week as an intern in 2010, she served as the title’s audience development manager, senior editor and deputy editor, as well as a regular guest on “The Week Unwrapped” podcast. Her writing has featured in other publications including Popular Science, Fast Company, Fortune, and Self magazine, and she loves covering science and climate-related issues.