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yesterday

Trump Enacts 50% Tariffs on Brazil and Sanctions Supreme Court Justice

The White House says the measures are justified by a national emergency under IEEPA due to alleged threats stemming from Brazil’s prosecution of former President Bolsonaro.

FILE - President of the Supreme Electoral Court, Minister Alexandre de Moraes arrives to preside over the trial of former President Jair Bolsonaro in Brasilia, Brazil, June 29, 2023. (AP Photo/Gustavo Moreno, File)
A ship and containers at the Port of Santos, in Santos, Brazil, in April.
Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro points a photo of him during a motorcycle caravan by supporters to protest the Supreme Court trial where he faces charges for alleged involvement in a 2022 coup attempt, in Brasília, Brazil, Tuesday, July 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Luis Nova)
An employee carries copper hoses at the Sociedade Paulista de Tubos Flexiveis metallurgical company which manufactures flexible metal hoses, in Sao Paulo April 20, 2012.

Overview

  • President Trump signed an executive order under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to formalize a 50% tariff on Brazilian imports, including a 40-point increase over the existing rate, scheduled to take effect after a seven-day delay.
  • The Treasury Department sanctioned Justice Alexandre de Moraes under the Global Magnitsky Act, freezing any U.S. assets he holds and barring Americans from transactions with him for alleged human rights abuses and online censorship orders.
  • Brazilian President Lula and Attorney General Jorge Messias condemned the actions as arbitrary attacks on Brazil’s sovereignty and pledged to defend the country’s judicial independence in international engagements.
  • Trade law experts warn that President Trump’s deployment of emergency authority to punish Brazil through tariffs could face federal court challenges over the scope of IEEPA.
  • Justice de Moraes has overseen the high-profile trial of former President Jair Bolsonaro on coup-plot charges and enforced an electronic ankle monitor order, a process President Trump has described as a “witch hunt.”