Trump Slaps 50% Tax On Brazilian Products

President Trump has announced that many goods imported into the U.S. from Brazil will immediately face a 50% tariff. It is the highest tariff imposed by the president this year and was enacted two days ahead of schedule, Matthew Cullen reported for The New York Times.

The moves mark a sharp escalation in tensions between Trump and Latin America’s largest country. I Photo: Agência CNT Wikimedia Commons

The Trump administration also announced new sanctions against a Brazilian Supreme Court justice overseeing the criminal case against former president Jair Bolsonaro, who has been accused of orchestrating an attempted coup after losing the 2022 election.

Trump has described Bolsonaro’s prosecution as a “witch hunt.”

The moves mark a sharp escalation in tensions between Trump and Latin America’s largest country, and appear to be a direct rebuke of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

In an interview with The Times prior to the tariff announcement, Lula accused Trump of trying to strong-arm Brazil and ignoring opportunities to negotiate. “We are treating this with the utmost seriousness,” Lula said.

“But seriousness does not require subservience.”