Trump, Brazil trade barbs and tariffs as Bolsonaro coup trial heats up
Leftist Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva threatened to reciprocate.
Trump has strongly criticized the prosecution of right-wing ally Bolsonaro, who is on trial for allegedly plotting to cling on to power after losing 2022 elections to Lula.
Brasilia on Wednesday summoned Washington's top envoy to the country to explain an embassy statement describing Bolsonaro as a victim of 'political persecution'—echoing Trump's claims of a 'witch hunt' against the 70-year-old Brazilian firebrand.
Trump then announced he would slap a 50 percent tariff on Brazilian imports starting August 1, citing 'Brazil's insidious attacks on Free Elections' and warning of escalation if the country retaliates.
In a letter addressed to Lula, Trump criticized the treatment of Bolsonaro as an 'international disgrace' and said the trial 'should not be taking place.'
He added Washington would launch an investigation into Brazil's trade practices.
While Trump has been issuing letters to trading partners—focusing on those his country runs a deficit with—Brazil had until now not been among those threatened with higher duties come August 1.
The South American powerhouse is the second-largest exporter of steel to the United States after Canada, shipping four million tons of the metal in 2024.
Lula wrote on X that 'any unilateral tariff increases will be addressed in light of the Brazilian Law of Economic Reciprocity.'
On Monday, Trump angered Lula by urging Brazilian authorities to 'LEAVE BOLSONARO ALONE,' in a post on social media.
'They have done nothing but come after him, day after day, night after night, month after month, year after year!' the US president wrote.
Lula, who narrowly beat Bolsonaro in a divisive election in 2022, hit back at Trump's 'interference,' insisting that 'no one is above the law.'
Bolsonaro denies he was involved in an attempt to wrest power back from Lula as part of an alleged coup plot that prosecutors say failed only for a lack of military backing.
After the plot fizzled, rioting supporters known as 'Bolsonaristas' raided government buildings in 2023 as they urged the military to oust Lula. Bolsonaro was abroad at the time.
The case against Bolsonaro carries echoes of Trump's prosecution over the January 6, 2021 attacks by his supporters on the US Capitol to try and reverse his election loss.
Trump pleaded not guilty, and the case was abandoned when he was reelected president.
The cases have drawn the Trump and Bolsonaro families together, with the Brazilian ex-leader's sons lobbying for US sanctions against one of the Supreme Court judges sitting on the ex-president's trial.
In his post on Monday, Trump suggested Bolsonaro was the favorite in presidential elections next year, despite him being banned from running for spreading disinformation about Brazil's voting system.
Bolsonaro thanked Trump for his defense of 'peace, justice and liberty' in a social media post.
On Wednesday, the US embassy in Brasilia issued a statement to 'reinforce' Trump's support for the embattled former army captain, who risks a 40-year prison sentence.
'Jair Bolsonaro and his family have been strong partners of the United States,' read the note.
'The political persecution against him, his family, and his followers is shameful and disrespects Brazil's democratic traditions.'
Members of the BRICS grouping, meeting in Brazil under host Lula this week, criticized Trump's imposition of import tariffs and his bombing of Iran.
This drew the US president's ire and a threat of 10 percent additional tariffs on each BRICS-aligned country.
Lula insisted BRICS members were sovereign and did not want an 'emperor.' — AFP
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Malay Mail
10 minutes ago
- Malay Mail
Trump's ‘fake news' diversion tactics falter as Epstein uproar grows
WASHINGTON, July 26 — President Donald Trump's super powers as a public figure have long included the ability to redirect, evade and deny. But the Republican's well-worn methods of changing the subject when a tough topic stings politically are not working as his White House fends off persistent unrest from his usually loyal base about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his associates. Trump has scolded reporters, claimed ignorance and offered distractions in an effort to quash questions about Epstein and the suspicions still swirling around the disgraced financier's case years after his 2019 death in prison. The demand for answers has only grown. 'For a president and an administration that's very good at controlling a narrative, this is one that's been harder,' said Republican strategist Erin Maguire, a former Trump campaign spokeswoman. Unlike political crises that dogged Trump's first term, including two impeachments and a probe into alleged campaign collusion with Russia, the people propelling the push for more transparency on Epstein have largely been his supporters, not his political foes. Trump has fed his base with conspiracy theories for years, including the false 'birther' claim that former President Barack Obama was not born in the United States. Trump's advisers fanned conspiracies about Epstein, too, only to declare them moot upon entering office. That has not gone over well with the president's right-leaning base, which has long believed the government was covering up Epstein's ties to the rich and powerful. 'Donald Trump's been running a Ponzi scheme based on propaganda for the better part of a decade and it's finally catching up to him,' said Geoff Duncan, a Republican former lieutenant governor of Georgia and Trump critic. 'The far right element is just dug in. They're hell bent on getting this information out.' The White House has dismissed reporting about Trump's ties to Epstein as 'fake news,' though it has acknowledged his name appears in documents related to the Epstein case. Trump and Epstein were friends for years before falling out. 'The only people who can't seem to shake this story from their one-track minds are the media and Democrats,' said White House spokesman Harrison Fields. Before leaving for a trip to Scotland yesterday, the president again urged people to turn their attention elsewhere. 'People should really focus on how well the country is doing,' Trump told reporters, lamenting that scrutiny was not being given to others in Epstein's orbit. 'They don't talk about them, they talk about me. I have nothing to do with the guy.' A person takes a photo as a message calling on President Donald Trump to release all files related to Jeffrey Epstein is projected onto the US Chamber of Commerce building across from the White House in Washington, DC July 18, 2025. — AFP pic The art of distraction Trump in recent weeks has employed a typical diversion playbook. He chastised a reporter for asking about Epstein in the White House Cabinet Room. He claimed in the Oval Office that he was not paying close attention to the issue. And, with help from Tulsi Gabbard, his director of national intelligence, he explosively accused Obama of treason for how he treated intelligence in 2016 about Russian interference in the US election. On Thursday, Trump took his distraction tour to the Federal Reserve, where he tussled with Chair Jerome Powell about construction costs and pressed for lower interest rates. That, said Republican strategist Brad Todd, was more effective than focusing on Obama in 2016, which voters had already litigated by putting Trump back in office. 'The Tulsi Gabbard look backward, I think, is not the way for them to pivot,' Todd said, noting that Trump's trip to the Fed highlighted the issue of economic affordability and taking on a Washington institution. 'If I was him I'd go to the Fed every day until rates are cut.' Democrats have seized on Trump's efforts to move on, sensing a political weakness for the president and divisions in the Republican Party that they can exploit while their own political stock is low in the wake of last year's drubbing at the polls. A Reuters/Ipsos poll this month showed most Americans think Trump's administration is hiding information about Epstein, creating an opportunity for Democrats to press. Trump's supporters and many Democrats are eager to see a release of government files related to Epstein and his case, which the Justice Department initially promised to deliver. 'Yesterday was another example of the Trump folks trying to throw as much stuff against the wall to avoid the Epstein files,' Mark Warner, a Democratic US senator from Virginia, said in a post on X on Thursday about Gabbard's accusations against Obama. Trump allies see the administration's efforts to change topic as a normal part of an all-out-there strategy. 'They are always going at 100 miles an hour. Every department, every cabinet secretary, everybody is out there at full speed blanketing the area with news,' Republican strategist Maguire said. Trump has weathered tougher periods before, and his conservative base, despite its frustration over the files, is largely pleased with Trump's work on immigration and the economy. In a July Reuters/Ipsos poll, 56 per cent of Republican respondents favoured the administration's immigration workplace raids, while 24 per cent were opposed and 20 per cent unsure. Pollster Frank Luntz noted that Trump had faced felony convictions and other criminal charges but still won re-election last year. 'We've been in this very same situation several times before and he has escaped every time,' Luntz said. — Reuters
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Trump administration issues plan to limit AI exports to China
The White House on Wednesday released proposals to restrict exports of American AI equipment and limit the spread of Chinese AI models as part of a sweeping plan to shape the rules governing the fast-moving technology. The 28-page AI Action Plan marks US President Donald Trump's administration's first comprehensive strategy on the topic and comes as national security hawks have raised concerns that superior American chips may reach China – including through third countries – and advance its AI and military development. Under the plan, the US Commerce Department will lead an effort to develop new export controls on chipmaking components to close 'loopholes' in current restrictions that now focus on major systems. The department will also lead efforts to increase the monitoring of exported US chip end users and to explore using new chip location verification features to keep them out of 'countries of concern' – a term often used to refer to China, Iran, North Korea and Russia, among others. The plan also directs the Defence and Commerce departments to coordinate with allies on adopting US export controls and to prohibit American adversaries from being involved in their defence supply chains. 'Artificial intelligence is a revolutionary technology with the potential to transform the global economy and alter the balance of power in the world,' White House AI tsar David Sacks said in a written statement. 'To win the AI race, the US must lead in innovation, infrastructure, and global partnerships ... This Action Plan provides a road map for doing that,' he added. The Trump administration decision last week to allow American chipmaker Nvidia to sell its H20 chips to China reinvigorated furious debate about how to extend the US technological lead without compromising national security. That came months after the administration revoked a rule put in place under former President Joe Biden that limited how much US AI computing capability certain countries could access through imported US chips. American AI companies face increased competition from such Chinese rivals as Hangzhou-based DeepSeek, which sent global shock waves earlier this year when it released powerful AI models built far more cheaply than many had thought possible. Trump has previously warned of China's potential to surpass the US in the race for AI dominance. Speaking about the White House plan at an AI summit on Wednesday, Trump said he wants to make the US an 'AI export powerhouse' while maintaining 'necessary protections for our national security'. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Secretary of State Marco Rubio 'will work to rapidly expand American AI exports of all kinds, from chips to software to data storage', he said, before signing executive orders to fast-track AI development and promote exports. Ryan Fedasiuk, a former technology policy advisor in the State Department's Office of China Coordination, said that taken together, the export control proposals 'thread a difficult needle' in the lead-up to US-China trade talks in Stockholm next week. 'They tighten technology controls without risking an existential blow to the provisional trade deal struck in London, and they focus on enforcement gaps rather than adding sweeping new restrictions,' he said. The real impact of the plan will depend 'entirely' on its execution, Fedasiuk added. 'Allied coordination is where the rubber meets the road. Export controls only work if they're multilateral, and we've seen too many cases where US restrictions just pushed business to Dutch or Japanese competitors.' The new administration blueprint also makes several recommendations focused on countering the spread of Chinese models. To ensure 'that free speech flourishes in the era of AI', the Commerce Department is to evaluate advanced Chinese AI models for alignment with Communist Party talking points and censorship practices. Along with the US State Department, Commerce will lead a campaign to 'vigorously advocate' for international AI governance approaches that 'counter Chinese influence' at diplomatic and standard-setting bodies. Too many existing efforts 'have advocated for burdensome regulations, vague 'codes of conduct' that promote cultural agendas that do not align with American values, or have been influenced by Chinese companies attempting to shape standards for facial recognition and surveillance', the plan said. The two departments will also lead a new initiative to share technology protection measures, including measures in basic research and higher education, with allies and partners. To promote the use of American AI technology rather than that of adversaries, the Commerce Department will gather industry proposals for 'full-stack AI export packages' – bundled systems that include AI hardware, software, and related services intended for export. In recent years, the US has pushed its European and Asian allies to stop exports of advanced chipmaking equipment to China. Wednesday's document carries a thinly veiled threat to allies, warning that failure to align with US export controls could trigger punitive trade measures through secondary tariffs. - SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Trump plays golf in Scotland as protests loom over visit
TURNBERRY (United Kingdom): US President Donald Trump was expected to play golf on the first full day of his visit to Scotland Saturday, as protesters prepared to take to the streets across the country. Trump's arrival at his Turnberry resort has turned this picturesque and normally quiet area of southwest Scotland into a virtual fortress, with roads closed and police checkpoints in place. Officers on quad bikes, police sniffer dogs and horses patrolled the storied links -- which has hosted four men's British Opens -- and its adjacent sandy beaches and grass dunes that hug the course. The 79-year-old leader touched down at nearby Prestwick Airport on Friday evening, as hundreds of curious onlookers came out to see Air Force One and try to catch a glimpse of its famous passenger. The 45th and 47th president has professed a love of Scotland, where his mother was born, but has controversial politics and business investments in the country have made for an uneasy relationship. Unsurprisingly, his five-day visit has divided the local community. 'A lot of people don't trust Trump and I'm one of them. I think the man is a megalomaniac,' retiree Graham Hodgson told AFP. 'He's so full of himself. I think he's doing a lot of damage worldwide with his tariffs. And I think it's all for the sake of America, but at the moment I think America is playing the price as well for his policies.' But at Prestwick Airport a boy held a sign that read 'Welcome Trump' while a man waved a flag emblazoned with Trump's most famous slogan -- 'Make America Great Again'. 'I think the best thing about Trump is he's not actually a politician yet he's the most powerful man in the world and I think he's looking at the best interests of his own country,' said 46-year-old Lee McLean, who had travelled from nearby Kilmarnock. 'Most politicians should really be looking at the best interests of their own country first before looking overseas, which unfortunately most leaders of the world actually do,' he told AFP. Trump's visit has seen Police Scotland embark on a massive security operation in which it has asked for support from other forces around the UK to bolster officer numbers. The Stop Trump Coalition has announced demonstrations near the US consulate in the Scottish capital Edinburgh and another in Aberdeen, where Trump owns another golf resort, for Saturday. Police will also be monitoring any other protests that might spring up near Turnberry. With no public meetings in the diary for Saturday, Trump was expected to jump in his golf cart and play what he called Friday 'the best course anywhere in the world'. He is due to discuss trade with EU chief Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday and is also due to meet UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer while in Scotland. - AFP
