Overview

• Trump announced that starting August 1, a 50% duty will apply to all Brazilian imports in response to what he called a "witch hunt" against Jair Bolsonaro.
• In a letter to President Lula, he linked the tariffs to Brazil’s prosecution of Bolsonaro and new regulations targeting US social media platforms.
• President Lula denounced the duties as foreign interference and vowed to invoke national reciprocity law to impose countermeasures.
• Brazil’s coffee and citrus exporters warned that US consumers will bear the cost of the surcharge, threatening higher prices for key commodities.
• The move follows his earlier threat letters and duties on Canada, Mexico, China and the EU, extending his use of tariffs for political aims.