Trump threatens Brazil with 50% tariff and hits out ex-leader Bolsonaro's trial as a 'disgrace'
In a letter addressed to Lula, Trump criticised the treatment of his right-wing ally Bolsonaro as an 'international disgrace'.
Bolsonaro is facing trial in Brazil over accusations that he plotted a coup after his narrow 2022 election loss to Lula.
Trump said in his letter that a US 'national security' levy on Brazilian goods will take effect on 1 August, mirroring a deadline which dozens of other economies face.
A 50% tariff on imports of copper will also take effect on the same date.
Trump said the move followed a 'robust national security assessment', a likely allusion to a Department of Commerce investigation into copper launched earlier this year.
'Copper is the second most used material by the Department of Defense!' Trump said.
In response, Lula warned of possible reciprocation, writing on social media platform X that 'any unilateral tariff increases will be addressed in light of the Brazilian Law of Economic Reciprocity'.
Brazil had announced earlier yesterday that it had summoned the US charge d'affaires over Trump's previous criticism of the Bolsonaro trial.
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Trump's message to Lula was the latest in more than 20 such letters the US president has released since Monday, after repeatedly threatening to simply decide a rate for countries as negotiations continue over his elevated 'reciprocal' tariffs.
Brazil had not been among those threatened previously with duties above a 10% baseline, and the United States runs a goods trade surplus with Brazil.
On Wednesday, Trump also addressed letters to leaders of the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Brunei, Algeria, Libya, Iraq and Moldova, spelling out duties ranging from 20% to 30% that would also take effect on 1 August.
Similar to a first batch of documents published on Monday, the levels were not too far from those originally threatened in April, although some countries received notably lower rates this time.
Although Trump imposed a 10% levy on almost all trading partners in April, he unveiled – and then withheld – higher rates for dozens of economies.
The deadline for those steeper levels, including the European Union, to take effect was meant to be on Wednesday, before Trump postponed it further to 1 August.
All eyes are on the state of negotiations with partners who have yet to receive such letters, including the European Union.
On Tuesday, Trump said his government was 'probably two days off' from sending the EU a letter with an updated tariff rate.
An EU spokesman said yesterday that Europe wants to strike a deal with the United States 'in the coming days', and has shown readiness to reach an agreement in principle.
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© AFP 2025
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