Latest news with #witchhunt
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Trump hits Brazil with a 50 percent import tariff
Donald Trump has hit Brazil with a 50 percent import tariff on 'any and all' goods sent to the United States as punishment for the 'witch hunt' trial against former president Jair Bolsonaro. Trump fired off a furious letter to Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Wednesday laying out the details of his new tariff. 'The way that Brazil has treated former President Bolsonaro, a Highly Respected Leader throughout the world... is an international disgrace,' Trump wrote in the letter, which he shared to Truth Social. Bolsonaro is on trial accused of trying to overturn his 2022 election loss. He testified in June before the country's Supreme Court over his alleged plot to remain in power despite losing the vote. The president said his whopping tariff was also in part a response to Brazil's 'insidious attacks on Free Elections and the Fundamental Free Speech rights of Americans.' He said a decision by Brazil's Supreme Court to fine and temporarily block US social media companies last year amounted to 'SECRET and UNLAWFUL Censorship Orders.' Trump said he is launching an investigation as a result under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, which applies to countries with trade practices that are deemed unfair to U.S. companies. 'Starting August 1, we will charge Brazil a tariff of 50 percent on any and all Brazilian products sent into the United States, separate from all Sectoral tariffs. 'Goods transshipped to evade this 50 percent tariff will be subject to that higher tariff,' he warned. Trump described the current trade relationship between America and Brazil as 'very unfair' and 'far from reciprocal.' '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.' Brazil's current president Lula responded with a forceful statement warning Trump's tariffs would trigger the country's economic reciprocity law, which allows trade, investment and intellectual property agreements to be suspended against countries that harm Brazil's competitiveness. He noted that the US has had a trade surplus of more than $410 billion with Brazil over the past 15 years. 'Brazil is a sovereign country with independent institutions that will not accept being taken for granted by anyone,' Lula said. Brazil's vice president, Geraldo Alckmin, said he sees 'no reason' for the US to hike tariffs on the South American nation. 'I think he has been misinformed,' he said. 'President Lula was jailed for almost two years. No one questioned the judiciary. No one questioned what the country had done. This is a matter for our judiciary branch.' Trump, too, was indicted in 2023 for his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 US presidential election. Pictured: President Donald Trump greets Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro at the West Wing of the White House prior to meetings in Washington, DC on March 19, 2019. He compared their situations in a Tuesday Truth Social post, writing: 'He is not guilty of anything, except having fought for THE PEOPLE. 'His Election was very close and now, he is leading in the Polls. This is nothing more, or less, than an attack on a Political Opponent — Something I know much about! It happened to me, times 10, and now our Country is the 'HOTTEST' in the World!' The tariffs starting August 1 would be a dramatic increase from the 10 percent rate that Trump levied on Brazil as part of his April 2 'Liberation Day' announcement . Brazil sells oil, orange juice, coffee, iron and steel to the US, among other products. The US ran a $6.8 billion trade surplus with Brazil last year, according to the Census Bureau. Trump initially announced his broad tariffs by declaring an economic emergency , arguing under a 1977 law that the US was at risk because of persistent trade imbalances. But that rationale becomes murky in this particular case, as Trump is linking his tariffs to the Bolsonaro trial and the US exports more to Brazil than it imports. Trump also sent letters Wednesday to the leaders of seven other nations - the Philippines, Brunei, Moldova, Algeria, Libya, Iraq and Sri Lanka. Most economic analyses say the tariffs will worsen inflationary pressures and subtract from economic growth, but Trump has used the taxes as a way to assert the diplomatic and financial power of the US on both rivals and allies. His administration argues the taxes will lower trade imbalances, offset some of the cost of the tax cuts he signed into law on Friday as part of the Big Beautiful Bill and bring factory jobs back to the United States. 'We really haven't had too many complaints because I'm keeping them at a very low number, very conservative as you would say,' Trump said. Officials for the European Union, a major trade partner and source of Trump's ire on trade, said Tuesday that they are not expecting to receive a letter from Trump listing tariff rates . The president started the process of announcing tariff rates on Monday by hitting two major US trading partners, Japan and South Korea, with import taxes of 25 percent. The letters were posted on Truth Social after the expiration of a 90-day negotiating period with a baseline levy of 10 percent. Trump is giving countries more time to negotiate with his August 1 deadline, but he has insisted there will be no extensions for the countries that receive letters. The president threatened additional tariffs on any country that attempts to retaliate.
Al Jazeera
6 days ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Trump interfering in Brazil's legal process
Trump interfering in Brazil's legal process Compare & Contrast We compare and contrast how Donald Trump stayed silent when Brazil's leftist leader Lula da Silva was jailed in 2018, but has been loudly condemning the current prosecution of his far-right ally, former president Jair Bolsonaro, as a 'witch hunt'. Video Duration 00 minutes 46 seconds 00:46 Video Duration 00 minutes 53 seconds 00:53 Video Duration 00 minutes 49 seconds 00:49 Video Duration 01 minutes 12 seconds 01:12 Video Duration 01 minutes 39 seconds 01:39 Video Duration 01 minutes 20 seconds 01:20 Video Duration 00 minutes 50 seconds 00:50
Japan Times
7 days ago
- Politics
- Japan Times
Trump claims Obama 'coup' as Epstein questions mount
U.S. President Donald Trump sought Tuesday to distract from the growing furor over his administration's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein sex scandal by pushing extraordinary claims that Barack Obama tried to mount a coup. The accusations, delivered in the Oval Office, followed a surprise announcement that Trump's Department of Justice would question an imprisoned, key former assistant to Epstein. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement on X that disgraced British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, serving a 20-year sentence for her role in Epstein's alleged pedophile scheme, would be queried for new information. "No lead is off-limits," Blanche said. However, the show of transparency appeared to be part of a concerted effort by the White House and Trump's allies to quell speculation about the convicted sex offender, who was long rumored to be a pedophile pimp to the powerful and who died by suicide in his prison cell in 2019. While meeting with the Philippines' president in the White House, Trump dismissed the Epstein case as "a witch hunt." "The witch hunt that you should be talking about is, they caught President Obama, absolutely cold," he said, launching into a meandering series of unsubstantiated accusations around Obama trying to "steal" the 2016 election, when Trump defeated Hillary Clinton. A person takes a photo as a message calling on President Donald Trump to release all files related to Jeffrey Epstein is projected onto the U.S. Chamber of Commerce building across from the White House in Washington on July 18. | AFP-jiji "Obama was leading a coup," Trump said. An Obama spokesperson called the claim "outrageous." The coup accusation centers on claims that fly in the face of multiple high-level official probes by the U.S. government. However, it resonates with Trump's far-right base — in part thanks to blanket coverage by the popular Fox News network. Trump's attacks on Obama are "part of a larger strategy of distraction, but they also serve another function: to cast the president as a victim of Democratic treachery," said Todd Belt, at GW University's Graduate School of Political Management. Obama's spokesperson echoed this, saying Trump engaged in a "ridiculous and weak attempt at distraction." In another ploy to bury the Epstein controversy, Speaker Mike Johnson, a key Trump Republican loyalist, said he would shut down the House of Representatives until September. This was to avoid what he called "political games" over attempts by mostly Democrats to force votes on exposing more about the Epstein case. Epstein was awaiting trial on trafficking charges when he was found hanged in his New York cell. Authorities declared it a suicide, but the death super-charged fears, especially on the far-right, that a "deep state" cover-up is in place to prevent the names of Epstein's clients from being made known. Trump's attempts to stop Epstein speculation clash with the fact that his own supporters are the ones who have most pushed conspiracy theories — and believed that Trump would resolve the mysteries. They were outraged when Trump's FBI and Justice Department said on July 7 that the death was confirmed a suicide and that Epstein never blackmailed prominent figures or even had a client list. Trump tried numerous measures to placate his base, including ordering Attorney General Pam Bondi to try to obtain release of grand jury testimony in Epstein's aborted New York case. But the issue flamed up again last week when The Wall Street Journal reported that it had seen a birthday greeting penned in 2003 by Trump to Epstein on his 50th birthday. The letter reportedly featured a hand-drawn naked woman, with Trump's signature forming her pubic hair, and reference to their shared "wonderful secret." Trump insists he did not send the letter and has filed a lawsuit against the Journal. Trump has never been accused of wrongdoing but was close friends with Epstein for years and was photographed attending parties with him. Among the other celebrities with connections to Epstein was Britain's Prince Andrew, who settled a U.S. civil case in February 2022 brought by Virginia Giuffre, who claimed he sexually assaulted her when she was 17. Giuffre died by suicide at her home in Australia in April. Maxwell is the only former Epstein associate who has been convicted. She is appealing her sentence before the Supreme Court. David Oscar Markus, Maxwell's lawyer, confirmed on X that he was in discussions about her meeting with government representatives. "We are grateful to President Trump for his commitment to uncovering the truth in this case," Markus added.
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump calls Epstein controversy a 'witch hunt' as justice department seeks meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell
Donald Trump has decried the bipartisan controversy over US Attorney General Pam Bondi's remarks that there was no evidence the late financier Jeffrey Epstein kept an incriminating list of his wealthy clients He has called the issue a "witch hunt" and says the press and American citizens should instead look into unsubstantiated allegations of corruption he is levelling at the Democrats Trump's appearance comes as the US Department of Justice has asked to meet Ghislaine Maxwell - she was found guilty in 2022 of helping Epstein sexually abuse young girls The president has said that only "stupid" people are still concerned with the case - previously, Trump campaigned on releasing documents related to Epstein, including the so-called "client list" Trump also says he has been asked by Chinese President Xi Jinping to visit China - he revealed the invitation while speaking to reporters alongside Philippine President Bongbong Marcos at the White House Trump calls Epstein controversy a 'witch hunt' as justice department seeks meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell
Washington Post
20-07-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
What to know about the trial of Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro
RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro will wear an electronic ankle monitor on orders from the Supreme Court, where he is on trial for allegedly masterminding a coup plot to remain in office despite his defeat in the 2022 election. The case received renewed attention after President Donald Trump directly tied a 50% tariff on Brazilian imported goods to Bolsonaro's judicial situation, which Trump called a ' witch hunt .'
