President Donald Trump said Wednesday the U.S. will slap a 50% tariff on Brazil’s imports, partly in retaliation for the ongoing prosecution of the country’s former president, Jair Bolsonaro.
Trump said the new tariff — a massive jump from the 10% rate the U.S. imposed on Brazil in early April — was also spurred by the “very unfair trade relationship” with the country, calling it “far from Reciprocal.”
The U.S. is also launching an investigation into potential unfair trade practices by Brazil, Trump said in a letter to Brazil’s current president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
The probe is based on “Brazil’s continued attacks on the Digital Trade activities of American Companies,” Trump wrote in the letter, which he shared publicly in a Truth Social post.
Lula 🇧🇷 @LulaOficial
Considering the public statement made by former U.S. President Donald Trump on a social media platform on the afternoon of this Wednesday (9th), it is important to emphasize:
Brazil is a sovereign country with independent institutions that will not be tutored by anyone.
The judicial process against those who planned the coup is under the exclusive jurisdiction of the Brazilian Judiciary and, therefore, is not subject to any form of interference or threat that might compromise the independence of national institutions.
In the context of digital platforms, Brazilian society rejects content that promotes hatred, racism, child pornography, coups, fraud, and discourse against human rights and democratic freedom.
In Brazil, freedom of expression is not to be confused with aggression or violent acts. To operate in our country, all companies — national and foreign — are subject to Brazilian law.
The information regarding the trade relationship between Brazil and the United States, concerning the alleged U.S. trade deficit, is false. Statistics from the U.S. government itself show that the United States has had a trade surplus with Brazil in goods and services totaling $410 billion over the past 15 years.
In this regard, any unilateral move to raise tariffs will be responded to under Brazil’s Reciprocity Law of Economic Measures.
Sovereignty, respect, and the unwavering defense of the Brazilian people’s interests are the values that guide our relationship with the world.
7:56 PM · Jul 9, 2025 · 490.8K Views
Translated by ChatGPT