Trump said Wednesday the U.S. will impose the tariff on imports from Brazil starting Aug. 1, partly in retaliation for the ongoing prosecution of the country's former president, Jair Bolsonaro.
Trump said in a letter that the new tariff — a massive jump from the 10% rate the U.S. imposed on imports from Brazil in early April — is also a response to the "very unfair trade relationship" between the two countries.
Trump also claimed that Brazil's trade policies have caused "unsustainable Trade Deficits against the United States," which threaten the U.S. economy and national security.
But the United States has a goods trade surplus with Brazil, which totaled $7.4 billion in 2024, according to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.
Da Silva called out Trump's false allegation of a trade deficit in his response, citing U.S. government figures.
Trump also wrote that the United States is launching an investigation into potential unfair trade practices by Brazil.
Portions of the letter to Lula match the verbiage of the 21 tariff letters that Trump has sent to other world leaders since Monday. »