Brazil

WASHINGTON — President Trump said Canada’s announcement that it will recognize a Palestinian state “will make it very hard” for the U.S. to reach a trade agreement with its northern neighbor.

Trump’s threat, posted in the early hours Thursday on his social media network, is the latest way he has sought to use his trade war to coerce countries on unrelated issues and is a swing from the ambivalence he has expressed about other countries making such a move.

The Republican president said this week that he didn’t mind British Prime Minister Keir Starmer taking a position on the issue of formally recognizing Palestinian statehood. And last week he said that French President Emmanuel Macron’s similar move was “not going to change anything.”

But Trump, who has heckled Canada for months and suggested it should become the 51st U.S. state, indicated on Thursday that Prime Minister Mark Carney’s similar recognition would become leverage ahead of a deadline he set in trade talks.

“Wow! Canada has just announced that it is backing statehood for Palestine,” Trump said in his Truth Social post. “That will make it very hard for us to make a Trade Deal with them. Oh’ Canada!!!”

Trump has threatened to impose a 35% tariff on Canada if no deal is reached by Friday, when he’s said he will levy tariffs against goods from dozens of countries if they don’t reach agreements with the United States.

Some imports from Canada are still protected by the 2020 United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which is up for renegotiation next year.

Carney’s announcement Wednesday that Canada would recognize a Palestinian state in September comes amid a broader global shift against Israel’s policies in Gaza.

Though Trump this week said he was “not going to take a position” on recognizing a Palestinian state, he later said that such a move would be rewarding Hamas, whose surprise Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel prompted a declaration of war and a massive military retaliation from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Trump’s new cudgel against Canada comes after he moved to impose steep tariffs on Brazil because it indicted its former president Jair Bolsonaro, a Trump ally who, like the U.S. president, has faced criminal charges for attempting to overturn the results of his election loss.

Trump signed an executive order Wednesday to impose his threatened 50% tariffs on Brazil, setting a legal rationale that Brazil’s policies and criminal prosecution of Bolsonaro constitute an economic emergency under a 1977 law.

Trump had threatened the tariffs July 9 in a letter to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. The legal basis of that threat was an earlier executive order premised on trade imbalances being a threat to the U.S. economy. But the U.S. ran a $6.8-billion trade surplus last year with Brazil, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

A statement by the White House said Brazil’s judiciary had tried to coerce social media companies and block their users, though it did not name the companies involved, X and Rumble.

Trump appears to identify with Bolsonaro, who attempted to overturn the results of his 2022 loss to Lula. Similarly, Trump was indicted in 2023 for his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 U.S. presidential election.

The order would apply an additional 40% tariff on the baseline 10% tariff already being levied by Trump. But not all goods imported from Brazil would face the 40% tariff: Civil aircraft and parts, aluminum, tin, wood pulp, energy products and fertilizers are among the products being excluded.

The order said the tariffs would go into effect seven days after its signing on Wednesday.

Also Wednesday, Trump’s Treasury Department announced sanctions on Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes over Bolsonaro’s ongoing trial and alleged suppression of freedom of expression.

Citing a personal grievance in trade talks with Brazil and now Canada’s symbolic announcement on a Palestinian state adds to the jumble of reasons Trump has pointed to for his trade war, such as stopping human trafficking, stopping the flow of fentanyl, balancing the budget and protecting U.S. manufacturing.

Price writes for the Associated Press. AP writer Josh Boak contributed to this report.

WASHINGTON — President Trump signed an executive order Wednesday to impose his threatened 50% tariffs on Brazil, setting a legal rationale that Brazil’s policies and criminal prosecution of former President Jair Bolsonaro constitute an economic emergency under a 1977 law.

Trump had threatened the tariffs July 9 in a letter to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. But the legal basis of that threat was an earlier executive order premised on trade imbalances being a threat to the U.S. economy. But America ran a $6.8 billion trade surplus last year with Brazil, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

A statement by the White House said Brazil’s judiciary had tried to coerce social media companies and block their users, though it did not name the companies involved, X and Rumble.

Trump appears to identify with Bolsonaro, who attempted to overturn the results of his 2022 loss to Lula. Similarly, Trump was indicted in 2023 for his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 U.S. presidential election.

The order would apply an additional 40% tariff on the baseline 10% tariff already being levied by Trump. But not all goods imported from Brazil would face the 40% tariff: Civil aircraft and parts, aluminum, tin, wood pulp, energy products and fertilizers are among the products being excluded.

The order said the tariffs would go into effect seven days after its signing on Wednesday.

Also Wednesday, Trump’s Treasury Department announced sanctions on Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes over alleged suppression of freedom of expression and Bolsonaro’s ongoing trial.

De Moraes oversees the criminal case against Bolsonaro, who is accused of masterminding a plot to stay in power despite his 2022 defeat.

On July 18, the State Department announced visa restrictions on Brazilian judicial officials, including de Moraes.

Boak writes for the Associated Press.

In Porciuncula, Brazil, small-scale coffee farmer Jose Natal da Silva is losing sleep – not just to protect his arabica crops from pests, but over fears raised by a new 50% United States tariff on Brazilian goods announced by President Donald Trump.

The tariff, widely seen as a political move in defence of far-right Trump ally ex-President Jair Bolsonaro, who faces trial for an alleged coup plot, could slash demand and prices for Brazilian coffee in its top export market.

Brazil is the world’s largest coffee exporter, sending 85 percent of its output abroad. The US buys 16 percent of that, making it Brazil’s biggest coffee customer. Experts warn the tariff will hurt competitiveness, especially for family farmers who produce two-thirds of Brazil’s coffee and have fewer resources to weather downturns or shift to new markets.

Last year’s climate change-driven drought already devastated crops. Now, falling arabica prices, down 33 percent since February, are compounding losses. “We struggle for years, and suddenly we might lose everything,” said da Silva, who grows 40,000 trees and other crops to survive.

Nearby in Varre-Sai, Paulo Menezes Freitas, another smallholder with 35,000 trees, fears he may be forced to abandon coffee farming. He says the tariff also affects essential imports like machinery and aluminium. “It feels like the ground is crumbling under us,” he said.

Despite the blow, Brazil’s coffee exporters remain cautiously optimistic. The Council of Coffee Exporters of Brazil (Cecafe)’s Marcio Ferreira believes US buyers can’t afford to stop importing Brazilian beans. But on the ground, small farmers fervently hope for a rollback before livelihoods vanish.

Eduardo Bolsonaro, son of Brazil’s former president, Jair Bolsonaro, accuses Supreme Court justice of behaving ‘like every dictator’, after assets and accounts frozen.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes has ordered the freezing of the accounts and assets of former President Jair Bolsonaro’s third son, Eduardo Bolsonaro, while the former president may now face arrest over his activities on social media.

Eduardo, a Brazilian congressman who has been active in Washington, DC, drumming up support for his father’s court battle, called the decision “another arbitrary and criminal decision” by Moraes.

“Moraes relies on illegal decisions to protect himself from the consequences of his crimes. Like every dictator,” Eduardo Bolsonaro said in a post on X on Tuesday.

“If he thinks this will make me stop, I make it clear: I will not be intimidated, and I will not be silenced. I prepared myself for this moment,” he said.

“This is just another demonstration of abuse of power and confirms everything I have been denouncing in Washington and to authorities worldwide,” he added.

CNN Brasil first reported that the confidential court decision was issued on Saturday as part of a probe into Eduardo Bolsonaro’s conduct in the United States.

In a separate court order issued on Monday, Justice Moraes, who oversees the criminal case in which the former president is accused of plotting a coup to overturn the result of the 2022 election, said any attempt to circumvent a court ruling in which he ordered Bolsonaro to wear an ankle bracelet and banned him from using social media could result in arrest.

Brazilian news outlet G1 reported that Moraes summoned Bolsonaro’s lawyers to clarify their client’s alleged non-compliance with his court order restricting his use of social media. According to G1, Moraes gave the lawyers 24 hours to present an explanation, adding that if the defence does not adequately justify Bolsonaro’s online behaviour, he may order the immediate arrest of the former president.

On Friday, Bolsonaro described the decision by Moraes to prohibit his social media use as “cowardice”, and said he intended to continue engaging with the media to ensure his voice was heard.

Vera Chemim, a Sao Paulo-based constitutional lawyer, told the Reuters news agency that she believed the country’s former leader is now on shaky ground, noting that media interviews, while not explicitly mentioned in the court order, could still be used to justify Bolsonaro’s arrest.

“Bolsonaro is now completely silenced,” she said. “Any misstep could lead to a preventive arrest.”

The tightening restrictions on Bolsonaro come after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Brazilian court officials, and specifically Justice Moraes, were conducting a “political witch-hunt” against the former president. As a result, the US was revoking travel visas for “Moraes and his allies on the court, as well as their immediate family members”, Rubio said.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula swiftly labelled Washington’s decision to impose visa bans on court officials “arbitrary” and “baseless”, saying that foreign interference in his country’s judiciary was “unacceptable”.

Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump threatened to impose a 50 percent tariff on Brazilian goods starting on August 1, as he called on Lula to drop the charges against Bolsonaro.

Bolsonaro, whose right-wing policies while in power earned him the nickname “Trump of the Tropics “, has denied that he led an attempt to overthrow the government but acknowledged taking part in meetings aimed at reversing the 2022 election outcome.

There’s deepening conflict between the United States and Brazil over the prosecution of former President Jair Bolsonaro.

US President Donald Trump threatened 50-percent tariffs – “unacceptable blackmail”, says Brazil’s President Lula da Silva.

So what’s next? And who stands to win or lose?

Presenter:

Adrian Finighan

Guests:

Graziella Testa – Professor at the Getulio Vargas Foundation

Vinicius Rodrigues Vieira – Professor at the Armando Alvares Penteado Foundation

Michael Shifter – Senior fellow at the Inter-American Dialogue

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio accuses Brazilian Supreme Court judge of creating a ‘persecution, censorship complex’.

Washington will restrict travel visas for Brazilian judicial officials and their immediate family members, United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced, over what he called a “political witch-hunt” against former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.

Announcing the move on Friday, Rubio accused Brazilian Supreme Federal Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes of creating a sweeping “persecution and censorship complex” that not only “violates basic rights of Brazilians, but also extends beyond Brazil’s shores to target Americans”.

“I have therefore ordered visa revocations for Moraes and his allies on the court, as well as their immediate family members, effective immediately,” he said, without providing further details on who would be subject to the measures.

Brazilian newspaper O Globo also reported on Friday, without citing its source, that the US has revoked visas from seven more justices of Brazil’s Supreme Court. If accurate, the only Supreme Court judges not impacted would be Bolsonaro-appointed justices Andre Mendonca and Nunes Marques, and Judge Luiz Fux.

The move by the US comes after Brazil’s Supreme Court issued search warrants and restraining orders against Bolsonaro on Friday, banning him from contacting foreign officials amid allegations he courted US President Donald Trump’s interference in court cases against him.

Explaining his decision, Moraes accused Bolsonaro – who was president from 2019 to 2023 – of attacking Brazil’s sovereignty by encouraging the interference of the “head of state of a foreign nation” in its courts.

Bolsonaro’s ongoing trial relates to charges he attempted to carry out a coup and overturn current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s election victory in January 2023. The coup charges carry a 12-year sentence, and if convicted on other counts, Bolsonaro could spend decades behind bars.

Bolsonaro is now banned from contacting foreign officials, using social media or approaching embassies. He was also prohibited from contacting key allies, including his son Eduardo Bolsonaro, a Brazilian congressman working to drum up support for his father in Washington.

Federal police also raided Bolsonaro’s home and headquarters, with authorities ordering him to wear an ankle monitor following Moraes’s ruling that there is a “concrete possibility” he will attempt to flee the country.

Bolsonaro: ‘Trump of the Tropics’

Speaking to the Reuters news agency at his party’s headquarters on Friday, Bolsonaro called Moraes a “dictator” and described the court orders as acts of “cowardice”.

“I feel supreme humiliation,” he said when asked about wearing the ankle monitor. “I am 70 years old. I was president of the republic for four years,” he added.

On Friday afternoon, a five-judge panel of Supreme Court judges reviewed and upheld Moraes’s decision.

Bolsonaro also said he believed the court orders were a reaction to Trump’s criticism of his trial, in the latest indication that Washington’s interventions may be harming rather than helping the former president.

While Bolsonaro denied he planned to leave the country, he also said he would meet with Trump if his passport, seized by police last year, was returned.

When asked about Bolsonaro’s latest comments, White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said the former Brazilian leader and his supporters are “under attack from a weaponised court system”.

Trump has maintained friendly ties with ideological ally Bolsonaro – known as the “Trump of the Tropics” – since the US leader’s first term from 2017 to 2021.

On Thursday, Trump shared a letter on Truth Social he had sent to Bolsonaro lamenting the embattled former president’s “terrible treatment” at the hands of an “unjust system turned against you”.

Earlier this month, Trump also threatened to impose a 50 percent tariff on Brazilian goods starting August 1, as he called for Lula’s government to drop the charges against Bolsonaro.

Lula promised to reciprocate, saying “any measure to increase tariffs unilaterally will be responded to in light of Brazil’s Law of Economic Reciprocity”.

In Friday’s court decision, Moraes also said Trump’s threatened tariffs were an attempt to interfere in the country’s judicial system by creating a serious economic crisis in Brazil.

The tariffs – which would hurt key Brazilian sectors like coffee farming, cattle ranching and aviation – have rallied public support behind Lula’s defiant leftist government.

Brazilian president says that Donald Trump was elected to lead the US, not to be ‘the emperor of the world’.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has said that his country will not take instructions from the United States after US President Donald Trump threatened Brazil with 50 percent tariffs and called for an end to the trial of right-wing ally Jair Bolsonaro.

In an interview with CNN on Thursday, President Lula said that the tariffs have no “logic” but that he does not believe there is a “crisis” in relations between the US and his country as of yet.

“For me, it was a surprise, not only the value of that tariff, but also how it was announced, the way it was announced,” Lula said. “We cannot have President Trump forgetting that he was elected to govern the US, not to be the emperor of the world.”

The US president’s heavy-handed approach to economic relations with other countries has chafed foreign leaders such as Lula, who has expressed frustration at what he sees as Trump’s efforts to dictate terms to Brazil on matters of trade and domestic judicial proceedings.

Bolsonaro, the former president of Brazil who has close ties with Trump and his family, is currently on trial for alleged efforts to mount a coup and reverse Lula’s victory over him in the 2022 election.

Trump, who also faced legal trouble stemming from his efforts to remain in office after losing an election, has called the trial a “witch hunt” and demanded that it come to an end. He has recently done the same for another right-wing ally, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“The judiciary branch of power in Brazil is independent. The president of the republic has no influence whatsoever,” Lula said, stating that Bolsonaro “is not being judged personally”, but “being judged by the acts he tried to organise a coup d’etat”.

The US has also warned Brazil that it will be penalised with higher tariffs if it continues its work as a leading member of BRICS, a coalition of developing economies that have sought to promote alternatives to the US-backed global financial system.

Trump has attacked the group for “anti-Western priorities” and threatened higher tariffs for any countries involved with the bloc.

In Latin America, where the US has a long history of heavy-handed involvement in the domestic affairs of various nations, Trump’s threats and blunt use of US economic leverage have sparked anger.

“Brazil is to take care of Brazil and take care of the Brazilian people, and to take not to take care of the interests of the others,” Lula said.

“Brazil will not accept anything imposed on it. We accept negotiation and not imposition.”

July 15 (UPI) — The Amazon rainforest — considered one of the world’s most important climate regulators — continues to face serious threats in 2025.

New data show that pressure on the ecosystem has intensified in Brazil and Peru during the first half of the year, while Colombia reports progress in curbing deforestation.

In Brazil, the National Institute for Space Research reported that 807 square miles of forest were lost between January and June — a 27% increase compared to the same period in 2024.

The spike was especially pronounced between April and June, coinciding with the dry season and a rise in illegal activities, such as large-scale cattle ranching. In May, the deforested area increased by a record 51% compared to the same month last year.

“The loss of forest in May 2025 was largely due to wildfires. … We are beginning to see a shift that confirms the warnings … that the rainforest is being severely impacted by climate change,” said João Paulo Capobianco, executive secretary of Brazil’s Ministry of Environment and Climate Change.

The trend threatens to reverse the gains made in 2023 and 2024, when deforestation fell to its lowest level in nearly a decade, driven by stronger enforcement and improved monitoring.

In Peru, while official figures for the first half of 2025 have not yet been released, the Monitoring of the Andean Amazon Project warns of ongoing primary forest loss in regions such as Ucayali and Madre de Dios, where illegal mining and wildfires have caused significant damage.

Peru lost more than 140,000 hectares, or 346,000 acres, of forest in 2024, and active hot spots detected in early 2025 suggest the trend is continuing.

According to the country’s Ministry of Environment, deforestation in the first quarter of the year totaled 27,000 hectares, or about 67,000 acres — a 33% decrease compared to the same period in 2024. The drop was even more pronounced in Amazonian national parks, where forest clearing fell by 54%.

The reduction was driven by a government-led multisector strategy that combined satellite monitoring, community agreements and joint operations that involve the military, environmental agencies and prosecutors.

However, a separate report by the Office of the Inspector General warned that forest clearing continues in remote areas, with more than 88,000 hectares, or 217,000 acres, affected between October 2024 and March.

The upcoming COP30 summit, scheduled for November 2025 in Belém do Pará, Brazil, could be critical for setting commitments and securing concrete funding to protect the Amazon, which is essential for maintaining climate stability, not only for South America, but for the entire planet.

In this episode of Talk to Al Jazeera, Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira discusses Brazil’s role in the expanding BRICS bloc and whether the group is positioning itself as a challenge to Western dominance.

Speaking from Rio de Janeiro after the BRICS summit, Vieira explains President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s call for a global trade currency, critiques the current state of the United Nations, and explains what Brazil envisions for a more balanced multipolar world. With absent leaders, rising tensions, and growing ambitions, is BRICS reshaping global power, or just talking about it?

United States President Donald Trump’s newly announced tariffs of 50 percent on Brazilian imports could drive up beef prices for US consumers.

Unless the White House delays or reverses course, the tariffs are set to take effect on August 1.

After China, the US is the second-largest importer of Brazilian beef. Brazil is currently the fifth-largest source of foreign beef for the US, and its share has grown in the past year, accounting for 21 percent of all US beef imports.

That surge has been driven by domestic supply challenges, including widespread droughts and rising grain costs. In fact, imports doubled in the first half of this year compared to the same period in 2024 including because of the threat of upcoming tariffs.

Analysts say should the tariff go into place, it will hit importers of ground beef, commonly used in hamburgers, particularly hard.

“They [US beef importers] will either have to pay the higher cost of Brazilian beef or obtain it from other higher-cost sources. That could lead to higher prices for certain beef products, particularly ground beef and hamburger meat. This comes at a time when the US cattle herd is at the lowest level in many decades, demand for beef is strong, and as a result beef prices are up,” David Ortega, a food economist and professor at Michigan State University, told Al Jazeera.

The 50 percent tariff would bring the rate on Brazilian beef to about 76 percent for the rest of the year, Reuters news agency reported, citing livestock analysts.

Some domestic trade groups, including the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), have praised the White House for the looming tariffs.

“NCBA strongly supports President Trump holding Brazil accountable with a 50 percent tariff,” NCBA Executive Director of Government Affairs Kent Bacus said in a statement provided to Al Jazeera. “For many years, NCBA has called for full suspension of imported Brazilian beef due to their abysmal lack of accountability on cattle health and food safety. Brazil’s failure to report cases of atypical BSE [a neurological disease affecting cattle] and their history of [foot and mouth disease] is a major concern for America’s cattle producer.

“A 50 percent tariff is a good start, but we need to suspend beef imports from Brazil so we can conduct a thorough audit and verify Brazil’s claims [of safety and health practices].”

In the 2024 election cycle, almost 95 percent of the political action committee representing the NCBA’s donations went to Republican candidates, according to OpenSecrets.

Rising costs

The tariffs come as the US is already facing a decline in domestic beef production and increased reliance on imported beef. There are already other strains on the US beef market because livestock imports from Mexico are at a standstill following new health concerns — the spread of a flesh-eating parasite called a screwworm. At the same time, imports from Brazil were down in June on the back of the 10 percent tariffs the White House imposed in April across all countries while they each negotiated their trade deal with the US.

“Domestic beef producers may benefit in the short term from reduced competition. However, producers are facing high input costs and weather-related challenges that limit their ability to expand quickly,” Ortega added.

Farmers in the US also have the smallest cattle herds in more than 70 years, and production is expected to decrease further by two percent by the end of the year.

Because of pains in domestic supply, imports doubled in the first five months of the year compared to the same period last year. That began to decline last month as a result of the 10 percent blanket tariffs.

Robert Perosa, president of Brazilian Beef Exporters Associations (ABIEC), an industry trade group, told reporters that the new tariffs would make it  “economically unfeasible” to continue to export to the US market.

The move will raise costs for restaurants across the US.

“Dramatic tariff increases could affect menu planning and food costs for restaurants as they attempt to find new suppliers,” Sean Kennedy, executive vice president of public affairs at the National Restaurant Association, said in a statement provided to Al Jazeera. “As we have said from the outset, our industry relies on a steady supply of imported goods that cannot be produced here in the US, and we urge the Trump administration to pursue policies that will secure fair trade agreements.”

Al Jazeera reached out to the largest fast food restaurant chains in the US, including McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, Sonic Drive-In and Jack in the Box, but none responded.

JBS and Marfrig, two of Brazil’s largest beef producers, also did not reply to a request for comment.

Markets respond

Stock markets have been relatively muted in their response to Trump’s tariff announcements this week. At the market close, the Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled 0.6 percent, and the S&P 500 is down 0.33 percent for the day. The Nasdaq Composite Index is down 0.2 percent.

JBS, which also has substantial beef production operations in the US, made a $200m  investment earlier this year to expand two facilities in the US. The company’s stock is up 0.4 percent for the day despite the challenges the tariffs will pose to its Brazilian beef business. Marfrig is down 3.98 percent for the day, although this comes as the company postponed a shareholder meeting for the second time for an unrelated pending acquisition of a poultry and pork processor.

In a provocative move that fuses foreign policy with ideological allegiance, United States President Donald Trump has threatened to impose a 50 percent tariff on all Brazilian exports, effective August 1, 2025. The announcement came in a letter posted on social media, in which Trump explicitly linked the proposed tariffs to two ongoing domestic issues in Brazil: the judicial proceedings against far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro – whom Trump described as the victim of a political “witch-hunt” – and recent rulings by the Brazilian Supreme Court against US-based social media companies, including former Trump ally Elon Musk’s X. By doing so, Trump has escalated a trade dispute into a direct attempt to influence Brazil’s internal affairs – using economic pressure to serve political ends and undermining the country’s sovereignty in the process.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio “Lula” da Silva responded swiftly and unequivocally: “Brazil is a sovereign nation with independent institutions and will not accept any form of tutelage,” he declared, adding that Brazil’s judiciary is autonomous and not subject to interference or threat. Under Brazilian law, digital platforms are obligated to monitor and remove content that incites violence or undermines democratic institutions, and they may be held legally accountable when they fail to do so.

While a 50 percent tariff on Brazilian exports might appear economically devastating, it could in fact become a strategic turning point – and even a blessing in disguise. Brazil has both the resilience and the diplomatic tools to weather this storm and emerge stronger.

The United States is one of Brazil’s largest trading partners, typically ranking second after China – or third if the European Union is considered as a single bloc. Brazilian exports to the US include industrial goods such as Embraer aircraft, iron and steel, crude oil, coffee and semiprecious stones, alongside agricultural products like beef, orange juice, eggs and tobacco. In return, Brazil imports large quantities of US-manufactured goods, including machinery, electronics, medical equipment, chemicals and refined petroleum. Notably, the US has maintained a trade surplus with Brazil for the past five years.

Should Washington proceed with the 50 percent tariffs, Brasília has several retaliatory options under its Economic Reciprocity Law. These include raising import tariffs on US goods, suspending clauses in bilateral trade agreements, and – in exceptional cases such as this – withholding recognition of US patents or suspending royalty payments to American companies. The impact on US consumers could be immediate and tangible, with breakfast staples like coffee, eggs and orange juice spiking in price.

Brazil is not without friends or alternatives. The country has already been deepening ties with fellow BRICS members (China, India, Russia, South Africa) and newer partners in the bloc. This dispute only strengthens the case for accelerating such integration. Diversifying export markets and embracing South-South cooperation isn’t just ideological; it’s economically pragmatic.

Closer to home, the tension presents an opportunity to reinvigorate South American integration. The long-held regional dream of enhanced collaboration – from trade to infrastructure – could gain new momentum as Brazil reassesses its global alignments. This realignment could breathe life into stalled Mercosur bloc initiatives and reduce dependence on an increasingly erratic relationship with the US.

Ironically, Trump’s aggressive move may weaken his ideological allies in Brazil. While Bolsonaro supporters (including members of his family) have praised the US president’s intervention, they may be missing its broader political consequences. Trump’s past influence abroad has often backfired, with right-wing candidates in countries like Canada and Australia paying the price. A similar outcome in Brazil is not unthinkable. Lula, who has consistently positioned himself as a pragmatic, diplomatic and stabilising global figure, may gain political ground from this latest episode. His defence of sovereignty, democratic institutions and balanced international relations could resonate more deeply with Brazilian voters ahead of next year’s elections.

This moment need not be seen as a crisis. Rather, it presents a pivotal opportunity for Brazil to assert itself as a sovereign economic power – less reliant on Washington and more engaged with an emerging multipolar global order. If Lula navigates it wisely, Trump’s latest provocation may deliver not only a diplomatic win but a significant boost to his re-election prospects. In attempting to punish Brazil, Trump may well have undercut both his foreign policy ambitions and his ideological allies abroad.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.

Protesters in Brazil burned an effigy of Donald Trump as they gathered to condemn 50% US tariffs announced for Brazilian goods, which Trump has linked to the coup trial of his political ally former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro.

RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said Thursday that he will impose retaliatory tariffs on the United States if President Donald Trump follows through on a pledge to boost import taxes by 50% over the South American country’s criminal trial against his predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro.

Lula said he will trigger Brazil’s reciprocity law approved by Congress earlier this year if negotiations with the U.S. fail.

“If there’s no negotiation, the reciprocity law will be put to work. If he charges 50 [% tariffs] from us, we will charge 50 from them,” Lula told Record in excerpts of an interview. “Respect is good. I like to offer mine, and I like to receive it.”

Lula’s comments raise the risk of a tariffs war erupting between the two countries, similar to what has happened between the U.S. and China. Trump has vowed to respond forcefully if countries seek to punish the U.S. by adding tariffs of their own.

The tariffs letter that Trump sent to Brazil — and posted on social media Wednesday — railing against the “witch hunt” trial against Bolsonaro opened up a new front in his trade wars, with the U.S. leader directly using import taxes to interfere with another nation’s domestic politics. Trump has already tried to use tariffs to ostensibly combat fentanyl trafficking and as a negotiating tool to change how other nations tax digital services and regulate their economies.

In Brazil’s case, Trump is trying to dictate the outcome of the criminal trial of Bolsonaro, an ally who, like Trump, has been charged with attempting to overturn a presidential election. Bolsonaro maintains that he is being politically persecuted by Brazil’s Supreme Court over his charges on the alleged plot to remain in power after his 2022 election loss to Lula.

“There’s nothing Lula or Brazil can do about Bolsonaro’s trial,” said Carlos Melo, a political science professor at Insper University in Sao Paulo. “Any change in that would be Brazil’s capitulation. Bolsonaro’s situation here won’t change. How do you negotiate over that?”

Lula ordered his diplomats on Thursday to return Trump’s letter if it physically arrives at the presidential palace in Brasilia. The document attacks the country’s judiciary and mentions recent rulings on social media companies among the reasons why goods from the South American nation will have higher tariffs from Aug. 1.

Trade negotiations now ‘up in the air’

Trump has initiated his tariffs under the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act, saying in April that the persistent deficit between what the U.S. exports and what it imports is a national crisis.

But the U.S. runs a trade surplus with Brazil, undermining some of the rationale.

A staffer of Brazil’s foreign ministry told the Associated Press that trade negotiations that were ongoing since Trump imposed a first set of tariffs in April are now “up in the air.”

Some members of the Lula administration say Trump’s move is actually aimed at Brazil’s connection with other Southern economies, as displayed on Sunday at the summit of BRICS nations hosted in Rio de Janeiro. Brazil’s president once again mentioned the hope for an alternative currency to the dollar for transactions, a topic that frequently draws Trump’s ire.

“Trump was never worried about democracy anywhere, much less with Bolsonaro’s destiny,” said Gleisi Hoffmann, Brazil’s institutional relations minister. “What he fears is the strengthening of the commercial and financial relations of the global south, which Brazil is helping to build in the BRICS bloc and in other forums. We won’t be Trump’s hostages.”

Brazil’s new unity

Trump’s interference in Brazilian affairs has brought a sense of unity that was largely absent in the politically divided nation. Some of Bolsonaro’s allies claimed Lula had drawn the U.S. president’s anger with other decisions, including criticism of Israel’s war in Gaza. But other supporters of the former president chose to ask for prudence in negotiations.

Daily newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo, a frequent critic of Lula and his administration, said in an editorial on Thursday that Trump’s move against the Brazilian government is “a mafia thing.” It also said Lula’s reaction was correct, a rare feature for the newspaper.

“Trump meddles in a degrading form into Brazil’s affairs,” the editorial said. “It is true that Trump has no respect for liturgy and rituals of the relations between States, but even for his standards the letter sent to the Brazilian government crossed every boundary.”

While Trump has talked tough, it has not necessarily produced his desired political outcomes abroad. Canadians recently elected Mark Carney as prime minister, with his Liberal Party reenergized by Trump’s tariffs and threats to make Canada the 51st U.S. state.

Analysts also see Trump’s attempt to interfere in the country’s domestic affairs as a potential backfire for Bolsonaro during his trial and a push for Lula, whose reelection bid was facing unpopularity headwinds this year.

“The reaction of a lot of people is that this is a political gift to Lula,” said Andre Pagliarini, a professor of history and international studies at Louisiana State University who is also affiliated with the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft.

Thomas Traumann, an independent political consultant and former Brazilian minister, called Trump’s move “a game changer” for next year’s election.

“Trump put Lula back in the game,” Traumann said. “This gives Lula a narrative, puts Bolsonaro as the guilty part for any economic problems.”

Exceeding the authority

The U.S. Court of International Trade ruled in May that Trump had exceeded his authority by declaring an emergency to impose tariffs without congressional approval. The Trump administration is appealing that decision, but opponents plan to use his Brazil letter to bolster their case.

“This is a brazenly illegal effort by Donald Trump to sacrifice the economy to settle his own personal scores, and it is far outside his legal authority,” said Democratic Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden.

The Republican administration has argued that their tariffs are now relatively harmless for the U.S. economy, since inflation has trended down in recent months. But many companies stockpiled imports to get ahead of the import taxes, and it’s unclear what happens when their inventories dwindle and consumers consider the risk of higher prices. Most outside economic analyses expect growth to decline.

In Brazil, Trump’s interest in Bolsonaro’s trial is expected to weigh over the trial. Media outlets have reported that lawmakers and judges are worried the former president will try to leave Brazil for the U.S. if he is convicted.

“We can’t rule out that Trump will give him some sort of exile later and is hiking tariffs to prepare his excuse,” said Melo, the professor in Sao Paulo. Bolsonaro’s passport was seized by Brazil’s Supreme Court because he is perceived as a flight risk.

Lawmaker Eduardo Bolsonaro, a son of the former president, moved to the U.S. in March. On Wednesday night, he asked his supporters on X to post “their thank you to President Donald Trump.”

In Thursday’s interview, Lula said the elder Bolsonaro “should take the responsibility for agreeing with Trump’s taxation to Brazil.”

“His son went there to make up Trump’s mind, then he [Trump] writes a letter to speak about a case that is on the hands of the Supreme Court. A case that is not a political trial. What is under investigation is the evidence of the case,” Lula said.

Savarese and Boak write for the Associated Press. Boak reported from Washington.

United States President Donald Trump has threatened Brazil with a 50 percent tariff, citing the criminal charges against its former president and his political ally Jair Bolsonaro, who is accused of plotting a coup.

In a letter to Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Brazil’s current president, Trump said on Wednesday that the treatment of Bolsonaro, who refused to publicly concede the presidential election that he lost to Lula in 2022, “is an international disgrace”.

The letter was one of 22 tariff notices Trump sent this week to various countries. On Monday, the president extended a pause on his sweeping global tariffs from Wednesday to August 1.

For the most part, Trump says he is trying to rebalance large trading deficits, whereby the US imports more from a country than it exports there.

But the US has a trade surplus with Brazil, and the tariff threatened against South America’s largest economy was higher than those received by other countries, which have mostly fallen in the range of 25 to 40 percent.

The escalation in tensions between the US and Brazil came as Lula hosted representatives from China, Russia, Iran and other nations for a BRICS summit of emerging economies in Rio de Janeiro this week.

Leaders attending the summit criticised Trump’s tariffs and the recent US and Israeli bombing of Iran, drawing threats from Trump of a 10 percent additional tariff for “anti-American” BRICS-aligned countries.

What has Trump announced in relation to Brazil?

Trump has continued to publish letters informing US trading partners of tariffs planned to begin on August 1 if they can’t reach trade deals with his government before that. So far, he has sent 22 letters to heads of state. More could still come.

While the letters have mostly denounced trade between those countries and the US as “far from reciprocal”, Trump’s letter to Lula was stronger.

He wrote that “due in part to Brazil’s insidious attacks on Free Elections, and the fundamental Free Speech Rights of Americans”, he planned to levy a 50 percent tax on Brazilian goods exported to the US.

“Please understand that the 50 percent number is far less than what is needed to have the Level Playing Field we must have with your Country,” Trump added. “And it is necessary to have this to rectify the grave injustices of the current regime.”

He said: “The way that Brazil has treated former President Bolsonaro, a Highly Respected Leader throughout the World during his term, including by the United States, is an international disgrace.”

How has Brazil responded?

Lula promised to hit back with tariffs of his own 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.

He added that the criminal case against Bolsonaro, who challenged the outcome of Brazil’s 2022 election, is a matter solely for the justice system and “not subject to interference or threat”.

Why is Trump targeting Brazil when the US has a trade surplus?

According to the Office of the US Trade Representative, the US imported $42.3bn of goods from Brazil in 2024 and exported $49.7bn.

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

Ever since the announcement of his “Liberation Day” tariffs, on April 2, Trump has consistently stated his desire to reduce America’s trade deficits with its trading partners.

In Trump’s view, deficit countries, such as the US, import goods that could have been produced at home, harming domestic employment and economic growth in the process.

However, “Brazil has historically run a small trade deficit with the US”, said Elizabeth Johnson, an economic analyst at TS Lombard, a strategy and political research firm. “It is very much political. … It is part of the Bolsonaro family’s effort to get Trump to weigh in on the ongoing trial of Jair Bolsonaro.”

Indeed, this is not the first time Trump has used the threat of tariffs to try to alter other countries’ domestic policy decisions.

Since returning to office in January, he has threatened a 25 percent tariff on Colombian goods and said he would double that if the country refused to accept deportees from the US. Colombia ultimately accepted his terms.

What trade does the US do with Brazil?

In 2023, the balance of trade (imports plus exports) between the US and Brazil amounted to $104bn, making Brazil the US’s 15th largest trading partner.

Top US exports to Brazil last year included aircraft and spacecraft (amounting to about $7bn), fossil fuels ($9bn) and industrial machinery such as nuclear reactors and electrical equipment (roughly $10bn), according to US Census Bureau data.

Brazil’s exports to the US in 2023 were led by crude oil and fossil fuels (about $8.8bn), iron and steel products ($5bn) and soya beans ($3.3bn).

What impact could a 50 percent tariff have on Brazil’s economy?

It could severely hurt companies highly exposed to the US market. In particular, firms in the base metals and agricultural sectors could be badly hit.

According to Johnson, Trump’s tariff threat could be a drag on economic growth because the US is Brazil’s second largest export market after China.

Indeed, Goldman Sachs has calculated that Brazil’s exports to the US represent 2 percent of its gross domestic product and Trump’s tariffs could cut its economic growth by 0.3 to 0.4 percentage points.

What impact could this have on the US economy?

If the tariffs are implemented, US firms that buy Brazilian goods would most likely have to find alternative sources for those products, and this could take time.

In the meantime, “the semifinished steel products from Brazil used in American manufacturing mean [that higher tariffs would be] a negative,” Johnson told Al Jazeera.

In addition, “beef, orange juice, coffee” and other farm products travelling from Brazil into the US would become much more expensive, she said.

On the other hand, Johnson suggested, “There’s room for Trump to score a win with Brazil by allowing more ethanol exports into the US, which would help [American] farmers.”

What charges is Bolsonaro facing in Brazil?

Bolsonaro, who was president of Brazil from 2019 to 2023, refused to concede his presidential election loss to his left-wing rival in 2022.

Bolsonaro raised questions about the accuracy of the election result, claiming that some electronic voting machines had been faulty.

Shortly after Lula took office in January 2023, thousands of Bolsonaro’s supporters angered over the election result stormed the presidential palace, Congress and the Supreme Court in the capital, Brasilia.

Now, Bolsonaro is facing criminal charges for allegedly plotting a coup and for alleged actions he took to overturn the 2022 election result.

Bolsonaro and 33 other people were charged this year, and the ex-president’s case is being heard by the Supreme Court. He could face 40 years in prison if found guilty.

Bolsonaro has denied any wrongdoing and has framed the trial as a politically motivated attack.

Trump, who also falsely claimed he had beaten Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election, had faced criminal charges related to seeking to overturn that election. His supporters also stormed the US Capitol before Biden took office, seeking to stop the certification of the election results.

Trump has highlighted what he regards as parallels between himself and Bolsonaro. On Monday, he wrote on social media that he empathised with what was happening to Bolsonaro: “It happened to me, times 10.”

Which other countries were notified of new tariffs?

Other than Brazil, recipients of tariff letters on Wednesday included the Philippines, Moldova, Sri Lanka, Brunei, Libya, Algeria and Iraq. They were notified of tariffs as high as 30 percent.

The rates Trump said would be imposed on Sri Lanka, Moldova, Iraq and Libya were lower than those he initially announced in early April.

Tariffs on goods from the Philippines and Brunei were higher. The rate for goods from Algeria remained the same.

Trump has said companies that move production to the US will be exempt from tariffs. But he also warned that if countries retaliate, they could face even higher US duties.

The US and its largest trading partners have been negotiating trade deals since Trump announced the tariffs. But so far, only Vietnam and the United Kingdom have reached new deals while a partial agreement has been reached with China.

More recently, Trump administration officials have indicated that deals with India and the European Union may be imminent.

July 9 (UPI) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday informed seven more nations about new tariffs, singling out Brazil with a 50% duty because of what he called the “disgrace” of how former President Jair Bolsonaro has been treated and an “unfair trade relationship.”

Other nations told about rates effective Aug. 1 were the Philippines 20%, Moldova 25% and Brunei 25%, and Algeria, Libya and Iraq at 30% on goods they ship to the United States.

Trump so far has sent letters to 21 nations with seven on Monday. They all had standard language in the two-page letters, except for the one to Brazil.

Trump told current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in a letter posted on Truth Social that “the way Brazil has treated former President Bolsonaro, a Highly Respected Leader throughout the World during his term, including by the United States, is an international disgrace. The trial should not be taking place. It is a Witch Hunt that should end IMMEDIATELY.”

Bolsonaro, who faces charges that he plotted to overturn his 2022 election loss against Lula, has been referred to as the “Trump of the tropics.”

Trump also noted “Brazil’s insidious attacks on Free Elections, and the Fundamental Free Speech Rights of Americans.”

And he said the United States also is launching an investigation into potential unfair trade practices by Brazil, Trump wrote in the letter.

He said the South American nation’s trade policies have caused “unsustainable Trade Deficits against the United States,” which threaten the U.S. economy and national security.

On April 2 on “Liberation Day,” Brazil was among most U.S. trading partners imposed a 10% baseline tariff. Brazil was not among the nations threatened with harsher reciprocal tariffs but on Monday, Trump threatened an additional 10% tariffs on BRICS nations, including Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa. The other BRICS nations are Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates

Tariffs has not sent letters to the BRICS nations except a 30% one for South Africa and 32% for Indonesia.

The U.S. has a goods trade surplus with Brazil of $7.4 billion in 2024, according to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.

The United States’ big imports from Brazil include crude petroleum and refined petroleum products, iron and steel, machinery and agricultural products, including fruit and vegetable juices, and meats.

“Please note that the 50% number is far less than what is needed to have the Level Playing Field we must have with your country,” Trump wrote. “And it is necessary to rectify the grave injustices of the current regime. As you are aware, there will be no Tariff if Brazil, or companies within your country, decide to build of manufacture within the United States, and we will do everything possible to get approvals quickly, professionally, and routinely, in other words, in a matter of weeks.”

On Tuesday, he signed an executive order that officially pushed back the implementation date from July 9 to Aug. 1. He said there will be no more extensions. Trump originally intended the harder penalties to take effect earlier but on April 9 he paused it 90 days.

The new tarriffs, except for Brazil, range from 20% to 40% with the latter imposed on Laos and Myanmar.

Among major trading partners, Japan and Korea were slapped with 25% duties.

The letters state that the 25% tariffs are separate from sector-specific duties on key product categories.

On Tuesday, Trump announced a 50% tariff on imported copper after 50% imposed in June on steel and aluminum.

“These Tariffs may be modified, upward or downward, depending on our relationship with your Country,” Trump wrote in the letters. “You will never be disappointed with the United States of America.”

Trump has yet to impose new tariffs on the 27-member European Union, but has said negotiations were not going well.

Trump also warned that the rates could be higher if they impose retaliatory duties.

In the latters Trump said there will be no tariff in the nation or the company “decide to build or manufacture product within the United States and, in fact, we will do everything possible to get approvals quickly, professionally, and routinely.”

U.S. stock indexes rose Wednesday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average going up 0.49%, Standard and Poor’s 500 rising 0.61% and tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite increasing 0.95%.

Two index are just off record highs Thursday — S&P 16 points and Nasdaq 13 points. DJIA is several hundred points off a record on Dec. 4.

Stock indices in the U.S on Monday each dropped less than 1% after the letters were made public.

US President Donald Trump said he was planning to impose a 50% tax on goods made in Brazil, escalating his fight with the South American country.

He announced the plan in his latest tariff letter, which was shared on social media.

In it, Trump accuses Brazil of “attacks” on US tech companies and of conducting a “witch hunt” against former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro, who is facing prosecution over his alleged role in a plot to overturn the 2022 election.

Responding in a social media post, Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said an increase in tariffs on Brazil would be reciprocated, and he warned against any interference in the nation’s judicial system.

Trump also sparred with Lula about Bolsonaro’s trial earlier this week.

At the time, Lula said Brazil would not accept “interference” from anyone and added: “No one is above the law.”

Also on Wednesday, Trump said a 50% tariff on copper imports, that he announced earlier this week, will come into effect on 1 August.

He said in a social media post that the decision was made due to national security concerns.

Trump has posted 22 letters to countries around the world this week, including trade partners such as Japan, South Korea and Sri Lanka, outlining new tariffs on their goods which he says will come into force on 1 August.

Those moves have largely served to revive plans he had put forward in April, but that were put on hold after financial markets recoiled at the measures.

But the message to Brazil was a far more targeted missive and threatened a significant increase from the 10% tariff the White House had previously announced on goods from the country.

Unlike many other countries, the US enjoyed a trade surplus with Brazil last year, selling more goods in the country than it purchased from it.

In the letter, Trump called the 50% rate “necessary… to rectify the grave injustices of the current regime”.

He said he would order the US Trade Representative to launch a so-called 301 investigation into Brazil’s digital trade practices.

Such a move would mark a turn towards a more established legal process that the US has used to impose tariffs in the past, toughening the threat. In his first term, Trump took a similar step over Brazil’s consideration of a tax targeting tech firms.

Trump, in the letter, accused the Brazilian government of “insidious attacks on Free Elections, and the fundamental Free Speech Rights of Americans” including the censorship of “US Social Media platforms”.

Trump’s social media company, Trump Media, is among the US tech companies fighting Brazilian court rulings over orders suspending social media accounts.

The country had also temporarily banned Elon Musk’s X, formerly known as Twitter, after the platform refused to ban accounts that were deemed by Brazil to be spreading misinformation about the 2022 Brazilian presidential election.

Last month, Brazil’s Supreme Court ruled that social media companies can be held responsible for content posted on their platforms.

In his letter, Trump also spoke favourably of former Brazilian president Bolsonaro, saying he “respected him greatly”. He added that the ongoing trial against him is “an international disgrace”.

Trump and Bolsonaro enjoyed a friendly relationship when their presidencies overlapped, with the pair meeting in 2019 at the White House during Trump’s first term. Bolsonaro is often dubbed “Trump of the Tropics”.

Both men subsequently lost presidential elections and both refused to publicly acknowledge defeat.

Bolsonaro, who governed Brazil between 2019 and 2022, is standing trial for allegedly attempting a coup with thousands of his supporters storming government buildings in the capital in January 2023 after Lula was victorious in the election.

Bolsonaro was in the United States at the time and has denied any links to the rioters or any involvement in the plot.

Earlier this week, Trump had compared Bolsonaro’s prosecution to the legal cases he has similarly faced.

“This is nothing more, or less, than an attack on a Political Opponent – Something I know much about!” Trump had said. In response, Bolsonaro thanked the US president for his support.

Trump was also critical of the Brics summit in Rio de Janeiro, where the group of developing nations met on Sunday. Trump called the group, which includes Brazil, “anti-American” and said those countries would be charged an additional 10% tariff.

President Lula fired back on Monday against Trump’s social media threats.

“He needs to know that the world has changed,” Lula said. “We don’t want an emperor.”

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

But on Wednesday, one of those letters was different from the rest.

While most of the letters are virtually identical, denouncing trade relationships that are “far from reciprocal”, Trump’s letter to Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva took a decidedly more personal — and more confrontational — approach.

“Due in part to Brazil’s insidious attacks on Free Elections, and the fundamental Free Speech Rights of Americans”, Trump wrote that he would be charging Brazil an extra 50-percent tax on any goods it exports to the US, separate from existing “sectoral tariffs”.

“Please understand that the 50% number is far less than what is needed to have the Level Playing Field we must have with your Country,” Trump added. “And it is necessary to have this to rectify the grave injustices of the current regime.”

The letter marked the biggest attack yet in Trump’s escalating feud with Lula, as he seeks to pressure Brazil to drop criminal charges against a fellow far-right leader, Jair Bolsonaro.

Known as the “Trump of the Tropics”, Bolsonaro, a former army captain, led Brazil for a single term, from 2019 to 2023.

Like Trump, Bolsonaro refused to concede his election loss to a left-wing rival. Like Trump, Bolsonaro also raised questions about the accuracy of the results, including by voicing doubts about electronic voting machines.

And like Trump, Bolsonaro has faced legal repercussions, with court cases weighing whether he could be criminally liable for alleged actions he took to overturn his defeat.

In Bolsonaro’s case, the election in question took place in October 2022, against the current president, Lula. The results were narrow, but Lula edged Bolsonaro out in a run-off race, earning 50.9 percent of the vote.

Still, Bolsonaro did not acknowledge his defeat and instead filed a legal complaint to contest the election results.

Meanwhile, his followers attacked police headquarters, blocked highways, and even stormed government buildings in the capital, Brasilia, in an apparent attempt to spark a military backlash against Lula.

Prosecutors, meanwhile, have accused Bolsonaro of conspiring with allies behind the scenes to stage a coup d’etat, one that might have seen Supreme Court justices arrested and a new election called.

According to the indictment, Bolsonaro, as the outgoing president, considered provoking these changes by calling a “state of siege”, which would have empowered the military to take action.

One of the other possibilities reportedly discussed was poisoning Lula.

Bolsonaro and 33 others were charged in February, and the ex-president’s case is ongoing before the Brazilian Supreme Court.

The charges came as the result of a federal police investigation published in November 2024, which recommended a criminal trial. Bolsonaro, however, has denied any wrongdoing and has framed the trial as a politically motivated attack.

Trump himself has faced two criminal indictments – one on the state level, the other federal – for allegedly seeking to overturn his loss in the 2020 election. He, too, called those cases attempts to derail his political career.

In recent days, Trump has highlighted what he sees as parallels between their cases. On July 7, he wrote on social media that he empathised with what was happening to Bolsonaro: “It happened to me, times 10.”

He reprised that theme in Wednesday’s letter, announcing the dramatic increase in tariffs against Brazil.

“The way that Brazil has treated former President Bolsonaro, a Highly Respected Leader throughout the World during his term, including by the United states, is an international disgrace,” Trump said.

“This trial should not be taking place,” he added. “It is a Witch Hunt that should end IMMEDIATELY!”

In addition to ramping up tariffs against Brazil, Trump revealed in his letter that he had directed US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer to investigate Brazil for unfair practices under the Trade Act of 1974.

This is not the first time that Trump has lashed out at Brazil, though. In February, the Trump Media and Technology Group filed a Florida lawsuit against Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, arguing that his decisions curtailed online freedom of speech in the US.

De Moraes had also overseen the investigation into Bolsonaro’s alleged coup attempt, and he is a target of criticism among many on the far right.

While Trump’s tariff letter contained the standard language alleging that the US’s trading relationship with Brazil was “very unfair”, the US actually enjoys a trade surplus with the South American country.

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

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

Still, Trump has cited uneven trade relationships as the motivation for his tariffs, though he has also used them to influence other countries’ policies, particularly with regards to immigration, digital services and transnational drug smuggling.

On Wednesday, Bolsonaro took to social media to once again proclaim his innocence. In a separate case, he was barred from holding public office in Brazil for a period of eight years.

“Jair Bolsonaro is persecuted because he remains alive in the popular consciousness,” the ex-president wrote in the third person. “Even out of power, he remains the most remembered name – and the most feared. That’s why they try to annihilate him politically, morally, and judicially.”

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

Lula, meanwhile, responded to Trump’s previous tariff threats on Monday by saying, “The world has changed. We don’t want an emperor.”

The 17th BRICS summit is being held in Brazil, again aiming to balance Western economic power and political dominance.

But as the meetings take place, eyes are on the US and President Donald Trump’s trade tariffs, perhaps showing America still holds the cards.

While the host nation Brazil condemns Israel’s aggression and NATO’s increased defence spending, other countries are not so outspoken.

And two important faces are not attending – Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

So does BRICS still have a cohesive purpose?

Has the grouping made tangible achievements over the years since it launched in 2009?

And what can it realistically hope to do, in today’s world?

Presenter:

James Bays

Guests:

Gustavo Ribeiro – Founder and editor-in-chief of The Brazilian Report

Sergey Markov –  Director at the Institute of Political Studies in Moscow and former public spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin

Jayant Menon – Former lead economist at Asian Development Bank and visiting senior fellow at ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore

United States President Donald Trump has taken to social media to defend his fellow right-wing leader, Jair Bolsonaro, the former Brazilian president who faces criminal charges for allegedly plotting a coup d’etat.

On Monday, Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social, that Bolsonaro’s indictment was an example of political persecution.

“Brazil is doing a terrible thing on their treatment of former President Jair Bolsonaro,” Trump said.

“I have watched, as has the World, as they have done nothing but come after him, day after day, night after night, month after month, year after year! He is not guilty of anything, except having fought for THE PEOPLE.”

Trump went on to compare his own legal troubles to Bolsonaro’s. Both leaders have been accused of trying to undermine their country’s elections, following losses.

In Trump’s case, the accusations concern his 2020 race against Democrat Joe Biden. Though Trump lost, prosecutors say he and his allies conspired to defraud voters by pressuring officials to say that he won. The lie culminated in an attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, as Trump’s supporters sought to disrupt the certification of the 2020 election results.

Trump later faced a federal indictment in Washington, DC, and a state-level indictment in Georgia over his actions. The federal charges, however, were dropped once he took office for a second term in January.

Bolsonaro, meanwhile, is facing criminal trial for allegedly masterminding a scheme to retain power after his 2022 election loss to Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

In the lead-up to the election, Bolsonaro spread falsehoods about the accuracy of Brazil’s voting machines, and afterwards refused to publicly concede defeat. Thousands of his supporters likewise stormed government buildings in Brazil’s capital, Brasilia, to protest the outcome.

Prosecutors say police unearthed evidence of a scheme wherein Bolsonaro and his allies plotted to hold onto power by means of a coup, one that would have seen Lula and other officials assassinated.

Both Trump and Bolsonaro have denied wrongdoing. In Monday’s posts, Trump said that both of their cases reflected a politically motivated “WITCH HUNT” designed to dim their popularity among voters.

“This is nothing more, or less, than an attack on a Political Opponent – Something I know much about! It happened to me, times 10,” Trump wrote. “The Great People of Brazil will not stand for what they are doing to their former President.”

He appeared to end his post with a call for Bolsonaro’s re-election: “The only Trial that should be happening is a Trial by the Voters of Brazil – It’s called an Election. LEAVE BOLSONARO ALONE!”

Bolsonaro, however, has been barred from running for office for eight years, a period which expires in 2030. Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court issued the punishment in a separate case in 2023 after it found Bolsonaro had abused his power by using government offices to spread doubt about the country’s voting machines.

Trump and Bolsonaro have long faced comparisons with one another. They both took office for a first term in 2017, and both lost their initial re-election attempt. Bolsonaro, a former army captain, has been referred to as the “Trump of the tropics”.

Critics have long speculated that Trump may seek to intervene in Brazil’s prosecution of the far-right leader through political pressure.

Earlier this year, for example, the Trump Media and Technology Group joined a lawsuit in Florida against Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, arguing that a recent decision from the judge amounted to the censorship of right-wing voices.

De Moraes has overseen the criminal case against Bolsonaro and is considered a target of ire for Brazil’s right.

In a social media response on Monday, President Lula indicated that Trump’s social media missive could be viewed as an attempt to interfere with the Brazilian justice system.

Though he mentioned neither Trump nor Bolsonaro by name, Lula, a left-wing leader, rejected the advice of those who sought to influence the ongoing trial from abroad.

“The defence of democracy in Brazil is a matter for Brazilians to deal with. We are a sovereign country. We do not accept interference or tutelage from anyone,” Lula wrote. “We have solid and independent institutions. No one is above the law. Especially those who threaten freedom and the rule of law.”

Bolsonaro, on the other hand, took to social media to thank Trump explicitly for his words of support.

“I thank the illustrious President and friend. You went through something similar. You were relentlessly persecuted, but you won for the good of the United States and dozens of other truly democratic countries,” Bolsonaro wrote, reflecting on how “happy” he was to see Trump’s note.

Bolsonaro used the occasion to once again proclaim his innocence and blast his political opponents as puppeteering the trial.

“This process to which I am responding is a legal aberration (Lawfare), clear political persecution,” he said.

The former president could face up to 40 years in prison if convicted.

Brazil’s President Lula responded to Trump’s tariff threats by saying the world does not ‘want an emperor’ who lashes out over the internet.

United States President Donald Trump has threatened to hike tariffs against the BRICS economic bloc, after the group offered indirect criticism of trade wars and the recent military attacks in Iran.

On Monday, Trump took aim at the 10-member bloc, which seeks to strengthen emerging economies, framing its interests as adversarial to the US’s.

“Any Country aligning themselves with the Anti-American policies of BRICS, will be charged an ADDITIONAL 10% Tariff,” Trump wrote in a post. “There will be no exceptions to this policy. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

BRICS is named for its founding members, Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. But it has grown to include other countries including Indonesia, Egypt, Iran and the United Arab Emirates.

Over the weekend, the group held its 17th summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The meeting culminated in a declaration angled at promoting peace and global cooperation.

But several items in the joint declaration appeared aimed at the US and its ally Israel, even though neither was identified by name. Under a section entitled “Strengthening Multilateralism and Reforming Global Governance”, for instance, the BRICS leaders called out the increasing use of tariffs in global trade.

This seemed directed at Trump, who has threatened US trading partners with a suite of tariffs in order to negotiate more favourable trade deals and exact policy concessions.

The US president has also called tariffs “the most beautiful word to me in the dictionary”, though many economists warn the cost of such import taxes is often offset onto consumers.

Trump has also championed the use of other protectionist economic policies, under the banner of his “America First” agenda. But the BRICS leaders warned that these kinds of policies could backfire.

“We voice serious concerns about the rise of unilateral tariff and non-tariff measures which distort trade and are inconsistent with WTO [World Trade Organization] rules,” the BRICS leaders said in their statement.

Such measures, they continued could “reduce global trade, disrupt global supply chains, and introduce uncertainty into international economic and trade activities, potentially exacerbating existing economic disparities”.

The BRICS leaders also used their declaration to denounce the recent military strikes on one of the bloc’s member nations, Iran.

“We condemn the military strikes against the Islamic Republic of Iran since 13 June 2025, which constitute a violation of international law,” they wrote, adding that “peaceful nuclear facilities” had been targeted.

Israel carried out the first attacks against Iran in the 12-day war on June 13, and on June 22, the US sent seven B-2 Spirit stealth bombers to Iran to strike three nuclear facilities. Both Israel and the US have maintained these actions were necessary to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, though Iran has denied seeking one.

In the wake of Trump’s tariff threat, BRICS leaders rushed to assure their US counterparts that they are not seeking confrontation. Others, however, chafed at Trump’s remarks.

“I became aware of what President Trump tweeted, and I think there needs to be greater appreciation of the emergence of various centres of power in the world,” said South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. “And this should be seen in a positive light, rather than in a negative light.”

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva took an even blunter approach to Trump’s threats.

“I don’t think it’s very responsible or serious for the president of a country as big as the United States to go around threatening the world through the internet,” Lula said in a question-and-answer session with reporters.

“It’s not right. The world has changed. We don’t want an emperor.”