President Trump said on Wednesday that he planned to impose a 50 percent tariff on all Brazilian imports, partly in retaliation for what he sees as a “witch hunt” against his political ally, former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is facing trial for attempting a coup.
In a letter to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil, Mr. Trump wrote that the new tariffs would take effect on Aug. 1. “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.”
Mr. Trump’s effort to use tariffs to intervene in a criminal trial in a foreign nation is an extraordinary example of how he views levies as a one-size-fits-all cudgel.
In his letter, Mr. Trump said the 50 percent tariff was needed to “have the Level Playing Field we must have with your Country” and “to rectify the grave injustices of the current regime.”
The United States had a $650 million trade surplus with Brazil in the first three months of the year, on roughly $20 billion in trade between the two nations, according to the American Chamber of Commerce for Brazil.
On Monday, Mr. Trump publicly criticized the criminal case against Mr. Bolsonaro, which focuses on the former president’s attempts to hold on to power after losing Brazil’s 2022 election.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil quickly fired back. “I think it’s very wrong and very irresponsible for a president to be threatening others on social media,” he told reporters on Monday. “People have to learn that respect is a good thing.”
He added about Mr. Trump: “He needs to know that the world has changed. We don’t want an emperor.”
Brazil’s Supreme Court is widely expected to convict Mr. Bolsonaro later this year, potentially leading to prison time.
In January, Mr. Bolsonaro told The New York Times that he hoped Mr. Trump would come to his aid, though he did not clarify how. Since then, Mr. Trump’s media company sued the Brazilian Supreme Court justice overseeing the case against Mr. Bolsonaro, accusing him of illegally censoring right-wing voices online.
But this week was the first time Mr. Trump so publicly and forcefully criticized the case against Mr. Bolsonaro, drawing comparisons to his own criminal charges stemming from his attempt to hold on to power after losing the 2020 election. “It happened to me, times 10,” Mr. Trump wrote on Monday. “I’ll be watching the WITCH HUNT of Jair Bolsonaro, his family, and thousands of his supporters, very closely.”
He added that Mr. Bolsonaro should be able to run in Brazil’s presidential election next year. Brazil’s electoral court has ruled him ineligible because of his criticism of Brazil’s election systems.
For years Mr. Bolsonaro attacked the reliability of Brazil’s ballot machines, saying that if he lost an election it would be because of fraud from the left. He largely pointed to anomalies that security researchers determined were not fraud.
After he lost the 2022 election, Mr. Bolsonaro questioned the results — despite a review from Brazil’s military that supported them — and looked to Brazil’s constitution to find ways to prevent Mr. Lula from taking office. That included meeting with military commanders about taking control of the government, which the majority of them refused to do.
Convinced the election was stolen, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed Brazil’s halls of power a week after Mr. Lula took office, calling on the military to intervene.
Federal police and prosecutors have argued that Mr. Bolsonaro’s actions amount to federal crimes, and over the past several months, the former president and several of his allies have testified before Brazil’s Supreme Court. A ruling is expected this year.
Federal police have also accused Mr. Bolsonaro of being aware of a plot to assassinate Mr. Lula and a Brazilian Supreme Court justice. Mr. Bolsonaro has denied those accusations.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Embassy in Brazil joined the criticism of the case against Mr. Bolsonaro.
“Jair Bolsonaro and his family have been strong partners of the United States. The political persecution against them, and their supporters, is a disgrace and falls well below the dignity of Brazil’s democratic traditions,” the embassy said in a statement. “The President’s statement is clear and we echo the message. We will be watching closely.”
In response, Brazil’s foreign ministry summoned the top U.S. diplomat in Brazil for a meeting.
Jack Nicas is the Brazil bureau chief for The Times, leading coverage of much of South America.
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