Why is Trump lashing out at Brazil?
In a letter Wednesday to counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Trump insisted that Bolsonaro's trial – for allegedly plotting a coup to hold on to power after 2022 elections he lost – "should not be taking place."
Trump has historically reserved his tariff ire for countries with which the United States runs a negative trade balance. Brazil is not one.
Analysts say ideological considerations, not economics, are behind the US president's actions in defense of Bolsonaro, dubbed the "Trump of the Tropics."
"Brazil came up on Trump's radar now because Bolsonaro's trial is advancing and there are Republican lawmakers who brought the issue to the White House," Leonardo Paz, a political scientist at Brazil's Getulio Vargas Foundation, told AFP.
Eduardo Bolsonaro, the former president's son and a Brazilian congressman, recently moved to the United States where he lobbies for pressure on Brasilia and the judges presiding over his father's coup trial.
Lula blames Bolsonaro's son for troubling the bilateral waters, and Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes has ordered an investigation into whether the US-based campaign constitutes obstruction of justice.
Moraes is an arch foe of Bolsonaro, who has labeled the justice a "dictator."
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke in May of a "great possibility" of sanctions against Moraes, who has clashed repeatedly with rightwingers and former Trump ally Elon Musk in a quest to stamp out online disinformation.
Bolsonaro calls Trump a "friend" and says they are both victims of "persecution."
In his missive to Lula, Trump complained of "a very unfair trade relationship" with Brazil.
But official Brazilian figures show a near two-decade sustained surplus in favor of the United States. Last year, it was almost $284 million.
The United States is Brazil's third-largest trading partner after China and the European Union.
It imports mainly crude oil and semi-finished iron and steel products from the South American powerhouse.
Brazil in turn primarily imports non-electric engines and machines, and fuel from up north.
In a sign of Brazilian business jitters, the Sao Paulo Federation of Industries called Thursday for a "calm" response to the "non-economic reasons" for Trump's tariffs.
Lula has said Brazil would be willing to reciprocate, in spite of Trump's warning of further escalation if it did so.
Trump also complained of Brazilian "attacks" on free speech and "hundreds of SECRET and UNLAWFUL censorship orders to US media platforms" issued by Brazil's Supreme Court.
Last month, the court toughened social media regulation, upping the accountability of platforms for user content in a groundbreaking case for Latin America on the spread of fake news and hate speech.
Last year, Moraes blocked Musk's X platform for 40 days for failing to comply with a series of court orders against online disinformation.
He had also ordered the suspension in Brazil of Rumble, a video-sharing platform popular with conservative and far-right voices – including Trump's son Don Jr. – over its refusal to block a user accused of spreading disinformation.
Detractors accuse the judge of running a campaign to stifle free speech.
"It didn't help that the BRICS summit was held in Brazil at a time a narrative exists in the United States portraying the bloc as anti-Western," said Paz.
Meeting in Rio de Janeiro, the group on Sunday spoke out against Trump's "indiscriminate" tariff hikes, prompting the president to threaten further trade penalties.
Members China, Russia and India refrained from hitting back, but Lula took it upon himself to defend the "sovereign" nature of BRICS governments, insisting: "We don't want an emperor."
Behind the scenes, Brasilia has been negotiating with Washington for months to try and avoid the worst of Trump's tariff war.
A member of Lula's entourage told AFP that Trump's attack on Brazil was partly inspired by "discomfort caused by the strength of the BRICS," whose members account for about half the world's population and 40 percent of global economic output.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
31 minutes ago
- The Star
Trump urges China to quadruple soybean orders
U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday urged China to quadruple its soybean purchases ahead of a key tariff truce deadline, sending Chicago soybean prices higher, though analysts were quick to question the feasibility of any such deal. In a late night post on Truth Social, Trump said China was worried about a shortage of soybeans and he hoped it would quickly quadruple its soybean orders from the U.S. "Rapid service will be provided. Thank you President XI," Trump said in his post. The most active soybean contract on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) jumped 2.38% to $10.11 a bushel at 0637 GMT on Monday after Trump's post. The contract was steady earlier. China, the world's largest soybean buyer, imported roughly 105 million metric tons last year, just under a quarter coming from the U.S. and most of the remainder from Brazil. Quadrupling shipments would require China to import the bulk of its soybeans from the U.S. "It's highly unlikely that China would ever buy four times its usual volume of soybeans from the U.S.," said Johnny Xiang, founder of Beijing-based AgRadar Consulting. A tariff truce between Beijing and Washington is set to expire on August 12, but the Trump administration has hinted that the deadline may be extended. It is unclear if securing China's agreement to buy more U.S. soybeans is a condition for extending the truce as Trump looks to reduce China's trade surplus with the U.S. China's soymeal futures fell 0.65% to 3,068 yuan per metric ton on expectations U.S. imports could increase supply. China's Ministry of Commerce did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Under the Phase One trade deal signed during Trump's first term, China agreed to boost purchases of U.S. agricultural products, including soybeans. However, Beijing fell far short of meeting those targets. This year, amid Washington-Beijing trade tensions, it has yet to buy any fourth quarter U.S. beans, fuelling concerns as the U.S. harvest export season approaches. "On Beijing's side, there have been quite a few signals that China is prepared to forego U.S. soybeans altogether this year, including booking those test cargoes of soymeal from Argentina," said Even Rogers Pay, an agricultural analyst at Trivium China. Reuters previously reported that Chinese feedmakers have purchased three Argentine soymeal cargoes as they aim to secure cheaper South American supplies amid concerns about a possible soybean supply disruption in the fourth quarter. U.S. soybean industry has been seeking alternative buyers, but no other country matches China's scale. Last year, China imported 22.13 million tons of soybeans from the U.S., and 74.65 million tons from Brazil. - Reuters
The Star
31 minutes ago
- The Star
Gold slips 1% as investors focus on US-Russia talks on Ukraine
Gold prices slipped 1% on Monday as market participants focussed on the upcoming U.S.-Russia talks over the war in Ukraine, and July inflation data that could offer more insight into the U.S. Federal Reserve's interest rate outlook. Spot gold was at $3,363.31 per ounce, as of 0703 GMT, after it hit its highest since July 23 on Friday. U.S. gold futures for December delivery dropped 2% to $3,423.10. "Cooling geopolitical tensions surrounding the war in Ukraine saw gold fall further, following Friday's announcement that U.S. President Donald Trump will meet with (Russia President) Vladimir Putin on U.S. soil," City Index senior analyst, Matt Simpson, said. Trump said on Friday he will meet Putin on August 15 in Alaska to negotiate an end to the war. Meanwhile, U.S. consumer price data is due on Tuesday, with analysts expecting the recently-imposed tariffs to nudge the core up 0.3% to an annual pace of 3%, above the Fed's 2% target. "A hot print could further strengthen the dollar and cap gains in gold, though I suspect support will remain in place overall as investors seek to scoop up discounts," Simpson said. Recent softer-than-expected U.S. jobs report boosted bets for a Fed rate cut in September. Markets imply around a 90% probability of a September easing, and at least one more cut by this year-end. Non-yielding gold thrives in a low-interest-rate environment. Also on the radar are Sino-U.S. trade discussions as Trump's August 12 deadline for a deal between Washington and Beijing looms. Meanwhile, COMEX gold speculators increased net long positions by 18,965 contracts to 161,811 in the week to August 5. On the technical front, spot gold may break support at $3,364 per ounce and fall towards the $3,314 to $3,342 range, according to Reuters technical analyst Wang Tao. Elsewhere, spot silver fell 0.9% to $37.97 per ounce, platinum slipped 1.3% to $1,314.75 and palladium eased 0.1% to $1,125. - Reuters
Free Malaysia Today
31 minutes ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Pyongyang warns of ‘resolute counter-action' over US-S. Korea drills
The US stations around 28,500 troops in South Korea. (AP pic) SEOUL : North Korea will react with 'resolute counter-action' in the event of provocations from upcoming joint military drills between South Korea and the US, its defence chief said in a state media dispatch today. The warning comes as Seoul and Washington are set to carry out their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises, aimed at containing the nuclear-armed North, from Aug 18 to 28. North Korea – which attacked its neighbour in 1950, triggering the Korean War – has always been infuriated by US-South Korean military drills, decrying them as rehearsals for invasion. 'The armed forces of the DPRK will cope with the war drills of the US and (South Korea) with thoroughgoing and resolute counter-action posture… at the level of the right to self-defence,' North Korean defence chief No Kwang Chol said in a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency. The US stations around 28,500 troops in South Korea, and the allies regularly stage joint drills they describe as defensive in nature. Seoul and Pyongyang have recently appeared to be heading towards a thaw in relations, with the two sides removing propaganda loudspeakers along the border. Seoul has said North Korean troops have begun dismantling loudspeakers used to blare unsettling noises along the border, days after Seoul's new administration dismantled ones it used to broadcast propaganda. The two countries had already halted broadcasts along the demilitarised zone, Seoul's military said in June, after the election of president Lee Jae Myung, who is seeking to ease tensions with Pyongyang. Relations between the two Koreas had been at one of their lowest points in years under former president Yoon Suk Yeol, with Seoul taking a hard line towards Pyongyang, which has drawn ever closer to Moscow in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Lee has taken a different approach to dealing with the North since his election, including requesting that civic groups cease sending propaganda leaflets over the border by balloon.
