Overview
- Jair Bolsonaro was taken into preventive custody in Brasília on a Supreme Court order citing a concrete flight risk and a threat to public order, with the judge pointing to alleged attempts to tamper with his electronic monitor.
- President Donald Trump told reporters he spoke with Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and expects to meet him soon, while calling Bolsonaro’s detention “very bad.”
- An executive order signed last week exempted dozens of Brazilian products from the recent 40% surcharge, including beef, coffee, cacao, fruits, and some aviation components, with excess tariff payments set for refunds under U.S. procedures.
- The exemptions follow direct contacts between Trump and Lula, including an Oct. 26 meeting in Kuala Lumpur, after earlier U.S. actions this year that layered a 40% increase on top of a prior 10% tariff on Brazilian exports.
- Lula says he seeks a broader commercial framework and plans direct talks with Washington to reduce tensions linked to U.S. military deployments near Venezuela.