Trump threatens tariffs on Brazil and demands Bolsonaro trial be dropped
U.S. President targets Brazil’s imports amid legal battle against Jair Bolsonaro, sparking sharp backlash from President Lula.
President Donald Trump called on Brazil to end the trial of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, claiming the proceedings were politically motivated and amounted to a “witch hunt.”
In a letter posted to his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump also announced plans to impose a 50% tariff on all Brazilian imports starting August 1. He cited several reasons, including what he described as Brazil’s “attacks” on American technology companies and a need to “rectify the grave injustices of the current regime.”
“The trial should not be taking place — it is a Witch Hunt that should end IMMEDIATELY!” Trump wrote, adding that the prosecution of Bolsonaro was “an international disgrace.”
Bolsonaro has faced multiple corruption allegations and was named the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project’s (OCCRP) 2020 Person of the Year for enabling organized crime and corruption. In 2022, Brazil’s top electoral court fined Bolsonaro’s coalition $4 million, ruling that it had filed a bad-faith lawsuit to overturn the election results. If convicted, he could be barred from running in Brazil’s 2026 presidential election.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva condemned the proposed tariffs and Trump’s comments, calling them “unwanted interference” in Brazil’s judicial system.
“Brazil is a sovereign country,” Lula said on X, formerly Twitter. “We do not accept tutelage from anyone. We don’t interfere in the justice system of the United States, and we demand the same respect.”
Lula added that Brazil would respond with reciprocal measures under its Economic Reciprocity Law if the tariffs go into effect.
In addition to his criticism of the Bolsonaro trial, Trump directed U.S. trade officials to investigate Brazilian trade practices.
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