 "Why is Trump slapping 50% tariffs and singling out Brazil over the Bolsonaro trial?")
United States President Donald Trump has imposed new tariffs on Brazilian steel exports to the tune of 50 per cent.
The move comes in direct response to the ongoing trial of Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro, who is facing serious legal proceedings for allegedly attempting to reverse the 2022 election results.
Trump, a long-time ally of Bolsonaro, has openly condemned the judicial action, accusing Brazil of persecuting its former leader and threatening to escalate economic measures if retaliation follows.
Brazil, which has maintained a significant trade surplus with the United States in steel and other sectors, responded by invoking its Law of Economic Reciprocity.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva denounced what he described as interference in Brazil’s internal legal affairs and warned that unilateral moves by Washington would trigger countermeasures under national law.
Bolsonaro on trial
Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil’s former president and a polarising figure in Latin American politics, is currently under trial for his alleged role in a failed plan to prevent the transfer of power after his electoral loss to Lula in 2022.
The accusations stem from a series of events following the tightly contested election in which Bolsonaro was narrowly defeated.
Prosecutors allege that Bolsonaro and others conspired to undermine the democratic transition, hoping to retain power through non-constitutional means.
In January 2023, just one week after Lula took office, thousands of Bolsonaro’s supporters invaded key government buildings in Brasília, including the Supreme Court, the Congress, and the presidential palace.
While the buildings were largely unoccupied, the event drew immediate comparisons to the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot in Washington, DC, as the crowd demanded military intervention to remove Lula.
At the time of the riots, Bolsonaro had already left Brazil and was staying in Florida. He later returned to testify before the Brazilian Supreme Court in June 2024, denying involvement in the events.
His testimony is part of a broader investigation that includes more than two dozen other defendants. Legal experts anticipate a verdict may be delivered as early as September this year.
Separately, Brazil’s electoral court disqualified Bolsonaro from holding any elected office until 2030 after determining he had disseminated false claims about the integrity of the voting system.
In total, the former president is facing hundreds of legal cases across different courts, ranging from abuse of power to corruption.
If convicted in the current coup-related case, Bolsonaro could face up to 12 years in prison. Though he has not responded publicly to the new US tariffs, he continues to maintain that he is the target of politically motivated prosecution.
Trump’s recent public support of Bolsonaro
Trump has made no secret of his support for Bolsonaro. In a public letter addressed to Lula and released on his social media platform, Trump strongly criticised the Brazilian legal system, calling the proceedings against Bolsonaro a “witch hunt” that “should end immediately.”
He added, “This Trial should not be taking place,” and warned of US action if the situation persists.
The letter departed from Trump’s usual standardised messages to trade partners. He tied the 50 per cent steel tariff directly to Brazil’s treatment of Bolsonaro and pledged to open a broader investigation into Brazilian trade practices.
Brazil is the second-largest supplier of steel to the United States after Canada, having exported around four million tons of steel in 2024 alone. The imposition of tariffs — effective August 1 — marks a significant shift in Trump’s tariff policy, which has previously been focused more on economic metrics like trade deficits than political disputes.
This is not the first time Trump has publicly expressed support for Bolsonaro. The two leaders developed a close relationship during their respective terms, frequently meeting at summits and personal venues including the White House and Mar-a-Lago.
In his recent online post, Trump wrote, “I have gotten to know Jair Bolsonaro, and he was a strong Leader, who truly loved his Country.”
Trump continued, “Brazil is doing a terrible thing on their treatment of former President Jair Bolsonaro… He is not guilty of anything, except having fought for THE PEOPLE.”
He also linked Bolsonaro’s predicament with his own legal troubles over the January 6 Capitol attack, claiming both were examples of politically motivated targeting of opponents.
“This is nothing more, or less, than an attack on a Political Opponent — Something I know much about! It happened to me, times 10,” Trump added.
‘Brazil will not accept being taken for granted’
In a public response, Lula reaffirmed the independence of Brazil’s judiciary and insisted that the prosecution of Bolsonaro was a legal matter, not a political one.
“Brazil is a sovereign country with independent institutions that will not accept being taken for granted by anyone,” Lula said.
He also cited Brazil’s legal mechanisms to respond proportionately to such external threats, particularly through the Law of Economic Reciprocity, which allows Brazil to suspend or alter trade, investment and intellectual property agreements with nations deemed to be harming its competitiveness.
Lula also noted that the United States has enjoyed a cumulative trade surplus of over $410 billion with Brazil over the past 15 years, suggesting that retaliatory measures would be well within Brazil’s rights if US tariffs remain in place.
Tensions escalated further when the US embassy in Brasília released a statement echoing Trump’s concerns and expressing support for Bolsonaro.
The embassy described the trial as a form of persecution and asserted that Bolsonaro and his family had been “strong partners” of the United States.
The Brazilian foreign ministry immediately summoned the top US envoy to express its objection to the statement, calling it an unacceptable intrusion into Brazil’s internal affairs.
The Trump-Bolsonaro political kinship
Bolsonaro has long embraced Trump’s political ideology, adopting several of the tactics and positions associated with the MAGA movement.
From attacking media outlets and discrediting electoral processes to courting religious conservatives and appointing his sons as key political advisers, Bolsonaro cultivated a political style deeply influenced by Trumpism.
Their bond was evident as early as 2019, when Bolsonaro met Trump at the United Nations and told him, “I love you.” He even saluted the US flag during his first year in office and repeatedly praised American leadership.
Citing Bolsonaro’s approach to policy when in office, journalists even dubbed him the ‘Trump of the tropics’.
When Bolsonaro fled to Florida before Lula’s inauguration, many observers drew parallels with Trump’s post-2020 election behaviour.
Bolsonaro’s supporters, known as “Bolsonaristas,” camped outside military bases and government buildings demanding intervention — culminating in the January 8 assault on the capital.
Both leaders have cast their legal woes as politically driven persecution. Trump pleaded not guilty to charges related to January 6 and saw the case dropped following his re-election.
Bolsonaro, likewise, claims he is being unjustly targeted for defending “peace, justice, and liberty,” as he wrote in a recent social media post thanking Trump.
BRICS backlash
The tariff dispute unfolded during a major Brics summit hosted in Brazil under Lula’s leadership. Member nations — Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa — condemned the US move to impose tariffs and criticised Trump’s recent military action against Iran.
In response, Trump threatened an additional 10 per cent tariff on every country aligned with Brics, accusing the bloc of undermining US interests.
Lula countered that BRICS members were sovereign nations that would not accept external coercion, adding that Brazil does not need “an emperor” dictating how it should act.
With inputs from agencies
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