It is not the first time that the US wants to intervene in the internal policy of a Latin American country. Not even in Brazil's, as when he supported the April 1964 coup against João Goulart, who light the Brazilian military dictatorship (1964-1985) chaired in its beginnings by Humberto Castelo Branco.
But perhaps it is the first time that happens in such a personal way, without ideological, economic or anti -communist ravines. This time US intervenes in the internal policy of Brazil because Jair Bolsonaro is an ally of Donald Trump, he is another actor of the reactionary international of the US president, such as Benjamín Netanyahu or Javier Milei. And Brazil is not San Vicente and Granada, whose prime minister, Ralph Gonsalves, is ideologically to the left of Lula, but it is a small Caribbean island of 100,000 inhabitants.
And the current Brazil brings together too many drives for Trump: his friend Bolsonaro is being judged by coup; They are condemning technological companies for their responsibility in the crimes of hatred that are discussed on their platforms; And it is a country that disputes continental hegemony – and beyond – with the US through the alliance with China, India, Russia and South Africa in the BRICs, a club from the Global South that has been growing – indonesia, Eau, Eupto – and that adds in its meetings, as in the one a few days ago in Brasilia, to countries like Iran, Palestinian and numerous African countries.
In addition, Trump is frightened by the idea of a new Bric currency to replace the US dollar. Although the BRICs have tried to reduce the dependence of the dollar in international trade and there have been conversations regarding a new currency, the group does not have a common currency or has reached it.
Trump announced this week that it would impose 10% extra tariffs on the BRICS and Allies, but in the case of Brazil the 50% tax is purely personal.
If the US president's alibi to impose tariffs has to do with the commercial deficit: USA and Brazil registered a joint trade of approximately 92 billion in the last year, with a surplus of 7,000 million dollars for the US. In fact, Brazil has maintained a commercial deficit with the USA every year since 2008, according to data from the US government itself.
Of course, in 2024, Brazil sold goods worth 40,000 million dollars, mainly oil, coffee and steel, to the United States.
In the case of Brazil, in addition, the tariffs that will enter into force on August 1, are a drastic increase with respect to the 10% rate that Trump raised for Brazil as part of his announcement on the release Day of April 2.
Bolsonaro defense
The US president used the letter of the tariff announcement on Wednesday to leave Bolsonaro, who is being tried for trying a military coup after Lula's electoral victory. Thus, in his letter to Lula, the US president to speak of an “unfortunate treatment” that, in his opinion, is suffering former president Bolsonaro: “It is a witch hunt that must stop immediately.” Trump also speaks of “persecution of freedom of expression and the rights of Americans”, for judicial causes in Brazil against bulos in social networks.
Lula, on the other hand, responded with the same currency: “Before the public declaration of the US President, Donald Trump, it is important Context of digital platforms, Brazilian society rejects hate content, racism, child pornography, scams, fraud and speeches that violate human rights and democratic freedoms;
The Brazilian president also said that the US has had a commercial surplus of more than 410 billion dollars with Brazil in the last 15 years.
But Trump's threats are not new. The US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, declared in May in an appearance in Congress that Washington was considering sanctioning one of the judges of the Supreme Court of Brazil, Alexandre de Moraes. The crime of Moraes? Have ordered the closure of social media accounts considered fake news propagator. In addition, he is the judge who faced Elon Musk and precautionaryly suspended X in Brazil.
“I spent two years with President Trump, where we always defended the interests of our people and the freedom of all,” wrote Jair Bolsonaro in X after the first post of the US president in his defense: “This case is a legal aberration (Lawfare), a clear political persecution, already recognized by all with common sense. I thank the distinguished president and friend. You went through something similar. USA and dozens of other truly democratic countries.
Donald Trump's burning defense to Jair Bolsonaro after the dome of the Rio de Janeiro BRICS arrives earlier than expected. Eduardo Bolsonaro, in addition to trying to save his father from jail, aspired to use Trump government support to try to save his father from jail (the sentence is scheduled for September) and to legitimize his own presidential candidacy in the 2026 elections.
However, the Rate 50% to Brazil has been a surprise even for pockets. While Lula's government studies prosecute Rates in the World Trade Organization (which prohibits the application of tariffs for political reasons), some leaders of the Brazilian extreme right rush to applaud Donald Trump's measures against Brazil. Tarcísio de Freitas, governor of the state of São Paulo, disclosed in his social networks profiles that “Lula placed his ideology above the economy, and that is the result.” However, the extreme right is trying shrink to the Bolsonaro family against the negative effects of the Rate.
Lula's attitude as a defender of national sovereignty against foreign interference and the narrative of the left (which speaks of the “Bolsonaro rate”), is already in the political field. Gleisi Hoffman, current minister of the Ministry of Institutional Relations of the Lula Government, has accused Jair Bolsonaro and Tarcísio de Freitas as traitors. “Who is placing the ideology above the interests of the country is the governor Tarcísio and all the Bolsonaro accomplices who applaud the Rate Trump against Brazil. They only think about the political benefit they hope to get the president of the United States, because they never really imported with the country and the people, ” critical Gleisi. The leaders pockets They already admit wear behind him RateSegún Folha de São Paulo.
Bolsonarist maneuvers
After the failure of the coup attempt, which led to the anti -democratic days of January 8, 2023 of Brasilia with the assault on the three powers, the Bolsonaro family entrusted its future to the destination of Donald Trump. After Trump's investiture on January 20, Eduardo Bolsonaro, son of Jair Bolsonaro, chained four trips to the United States. Initially, the lobby by Eduardo Bolsonaro to place Donald Trump against Lula, it went quite unnoticed. At the beginning of February, Jair and Eduardo Bolsonaro opened a profile on the extreme right -wing platform Truth Social, part of the Trump Media Group, causing a massive migration of pockets radicals to said social network. At the end of February, Truth Social, Gettr and Rumble registered several complaints in American justice against Alexandre de Moraes, Minister of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), for alleged censorship. Moraes had applied sanctions to these platforms, for not having legal representative in Brazil and for not withdrawing messages accused of hate crime.
On March 18, Eduardo Bolsonaro resigned from his deputy minutes, to remain indeterminate in the United States. The PT requested the withdrawal of his passport, accusing him of a crime of “Lesa Patria” (act against the interests of Brazil). Eduardo was cooking in the United States the narrative of political persecution to the opposition and censorship of the Lula government. He met with Jason Miller, founder of the Gettr Radical Social Network, one of Trump's main advisors during the 2016 campaign. On the other hand, he pressed the Organization of American States (OAS), to include in his report on Brazil the “alleged censorship” against freedom of expression, something he did not achieve.
Steve Bannon himself, a reference for the extreme American right Maga, asked Marcos Rubio, Trump's Secretary of State, sanctions against Alexandre de Moraes and Lula. Rubio, old friend of the Bolsonaro family, soon reported that the US government was studying applying sanctions against Alexandre de Moraes, based on the Magnitsky Global Law (which allows to punish foreign authorities accused of corruption or serious human rights violations).
