Don’t look now, but former U.S. President Donald Trump has done it. Specifically, he directed the U.S. Trade Representative to investigate Brazil for unfair trade practices under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974. Furthermore, just this month, Trump declared a harsh across-the-board 50 percent import tariff on all Brazilian goods exported to the US. This historic jump reflects an intensifying U.S.-China rivalry. Amid the current political upheaval in Brazil, these tariffs have become reality. Trump has put them forward and framed them as absolutely critical to fixing what he views as bad, lopsided trade deals.
Since October 2022, Brazil’s political context has undergone a radical transformation. President Jair Bolsonaro’s record-making election victory, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who took the chair with 50.9 percent of a highly polarized vote in a hotly contested runoff election. Bolsonaro is declining to concede his defeat. He now finds himself under withering legal assault, most notably indicted for conspiracy with loyalists to mount a coup d’état. He has asserted that he did nothing wrong, calling the legal actions being taken against him “politically motivated.”
Even Trump has sounded the alarm on Brazil’s growing interference with U.S. interests. Now, he explains the serious impact these tariffs could have on US immigration policy and global trading practices. The former president to this day is the most active unilateral user of tariffs to compel policy changes in other countries. He sees them as essential to defending American interests and making sure trade is fair and reciprocal.
The United States is currently enjoying a $11.6 billion trade surplus with Brazil. Brazilian exports to the U.S. exceed U.S. imports from Brazil by more than $7.4 billion. Trump later emphasized that the new tariffs are designed less as a tool for revenue generation. That’s not what he’s trying to do with CTTP, though.
“Please understand that the 50% number is far less than what is needed to have the Level Playing Field we must have with your Country,” – Donald Trump
That was the context in which Trump chose to escalate the trade war with Brazil. This action goes beyond correcting trade imbalances. It fortifies his long-term loyalty to Bolsonaro. The former president, now facing several legal challenges himself, has come to Bolsonaro’s public defense, emphasizing the fictional comparison between their predicaments.
“The way that Brazil has treated former President Bolsonaro, a Highly Respected Leader throughout the World during his term, including by the United States, is an international disgrace,” – Donald Trump
Bolsonaro’s gratitude to Trump is particularly timely, considering that Bolsonaro is currently on trial criminally before the Brazilian Supreme Court. Prosecutors accuse him of conspiring to overthrow democratic institutions, accusations that Bolsonaro categorically refutes. In response to the prosecution, the former president has decried it as a politically driven take down of his character and leadership.
Throughout this political chaos, Trump, of course, is still voicing his support for Bolsonaro on social media platforms. His communications consistently cast the Brazilian leader as the victim of persecution by enemies at home and abroad.
“Leave the Great Former President of Brazil alone. WITCH HUNT!!!” – Donald Trump
Trump’s actions and rhetoric reflect a broader strategy he has employed throughout his political career. Using economic measures to exert influence over foreign policy and align international partners with his administration’s goals.
In addressing Brazil specifically, Trump cited what he described as “insidious attacks on Free Elections” and the infringement of “fundamental Free Speech Rights of Americans” as further justification for his tariffs.
As Trump sails through these choppy waters, questions are being raised about his own legal troubles. He has been indicted, but twice in other states for allegedly attempting to overturn the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. This volatile situation casts doubt on his previous support for Bolsonaro. Is it truly representing ideological or political beliefs, or is it just self-defense?
