Washington: US President Donald Trump has declared a sweeping 50 per cent tariff on all Brazilian imports, effective August 1, 2025, while simultaneously launching a verbal assault on Brazil's legal proceedings against former President Jair Bolsonaro, branding them a "witch hunt" that "should not be taking place." This announcement comes as part of a wider wave of new tariffs unveiled by the Trump administration against numerous countries.

In a letter sent to Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Wednesday, Trump stated his profound respect for Bolsonaro, whom he "knew and dealt with," and condemned the trial as an "international disgrace." The letter explicitly linked the punitive tariff to what Trump described as "Brazil's insidious attacks on Free Elections, and the fundamental Free Speech Rights of Americans," citing the Brazilian Supreme Court's alleged "SECRET and UNLAWFUL Censorship Orders to U.S. Social Media platforms."

Beyond the political grievances, Trump also accused Brazil of "unfair trade practices" and a "far from Reciprocal" trade relationship, asserting that existing tariffs on Brazilian goods were "far less than what is needed to have a level playing field." He indicated a willingness to adjust the tariffs if Brazil revised its trade policies and threatened further increases if Brazil retaliated with its own tariffs on American products. Furthermore, Trump directed US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer to initiate a Section 301 investigation into Brazil's "Digital Trade Activities of American Companies" and "other unfair Trading Practices."

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva swiftly responded to the announcement on Wednesday, stating that the 50% tariffs would trigger the country’s economic reciprocity law. This law permits the suspension of trade, investment, and intellectual property agreements with countries that negatively impact Brazil’s competitiveness. “Brazil is a sovereign country with independent institutions that will not accept being taken for granted by anyone,” Lula declared in a forceful statement, defending Brazil's legal system. He also highlighted that the U.S. has maintained a trade surplus of over $410 billion with Brazil over the past 15 years, countering Trump's claims of an unfair trade relationship. Lula suggested that Trump’s decision was driven by personal grievances related to Bolsonaro's trial, rather than purely economic factors.

This move against Brazil follows a series of similar announcements from the Trump administration. On Wednesday, Trump also imposed tariffs on imports from seven other nations: Sri Lanka, Iraq, Algeria, and Libya will face a 30 per cent tariff, while Moldova and Brunei will see a 25 per cent tariff, and the Philippines a 20 per cent tariff.

These latest tariffs are in addition to those announced earlier in the week. On Monday, Trump revealed tariffs on imports from 14 countries, set to commence on August 1. These include Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Kazakhstan, South Africa, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Tunisia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Cambodia.

President Trump reiterated on Truth Social that all these newly announced tariffs would be "due and payable starting August 1, 2025 - No extensions will be granted." He has consistently maintained that these tariffs are necessary to rectify long-standing trade imbalances and support American manufacturing. The aggressive implementation of these widespread tariffs is expected to ignite considerable global trade friction and spark concerns over potential economic slowdowns and supply chain disruptions.
With inputs from ANI