Latest news with #GetulioVargasFoundation
LeMonde
02-08-2025
- Politics
- LeMonde
In Brazil, Lula resists pressure from the Trump administration
Donald Trump appears willing to go to any length to defend his ally Jair Bolsonaro. On Wednesday, July 30, the US Department of the Treasury announced new sanctions against Judge Alexandre de Moraes, who is overseeing the trial for the attempted coup by the far-right president who served from 2019 to 2022. Accused by Washington of leading a "witch hunt," the judge –who was already banned from entering the United States starting on July 18 – has now had his assets frozen on US territory and is barred from conducting financial transactions with American citizens and businesses. A few hours later, Trump also signed an emergency executive order to impose 50% tariffs on goods imported from Brazil, as he had announced on July 9. Describing Brazil as posing "an unusual and extraordinary threat (...) to the national security, foreign policy and economy of the United States," Trump ultimately excluded 694 products from the measure, which is now set to take effect on August 6, five days later than originally planned. These new retaliatory measures, however, have not swayed the Brazilian government. On X, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva quickly defended Brazil's sovereignty and expressed his support for Judge de Moraes. "Brazil is a sovereign and democratic country that respects human rights and the independence of powers; it is unacceptable for the American government to interfere in the Brazilian judiciary," he declared on Wednesday. Earlier in the day, before the executive order was announced, the Brazilian president also urged his US counterpart, during an interview with the New York Times, not to "mix everything together": "If he wants to have a political fight, then let's treat it as a political fight. If he wants to talk trade, let's sit down and discuss trade." "These sanctions are absolutely unprecedented," said Marco Antonio Carvalho Teixeira, a political scientist at the Getulio Vargas Foundation. "There is no historical precedent for such foreign interference in Brazil, aimed at favoring a political group close to the [US] president," the researcher explained.
Roya News
11-07-2025
- Business
- Roya News
Why is Trump lashing out at Brazil?
US President Donald Trump has announced a 50 percent tariff on Brazilian imports as he accused the country's leftist leadership of orchestrating a "witch hunt" against his right-wing ally, former leader Jair Bolsonaro. 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." Firm friends "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." 'Non-economic reasons' 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. Free speech tussle 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. BRICS brawl "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.
Sinar Daily
11-07-2025
- Business
- Sinar Daily
Why is Trump lashing out at Brazil?
SAO PAULO - US President Donald Trump has announced a 50 percent tariff on Brazilian imports as he accused the country's leftist leadership of orchestrating a "witch hunt" against his right-wing ally, former leader Jair Bolsonaro. 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." - Firm friends - "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. Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (left) and US President Donald Trump. AFP FILE PIX 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." - 'Non-economic reasons' - 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. - Free speech tussle - 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. - BRICS brawl - "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. - AFP
NDTV
11-07-2025
- Business
- NDTV
Firm Friends To BRICS Brawl: What's Behind Trump's 50% Tariff On Brazil
US President Donald Trump has announced a 50 percent tariff on Brazilian imports as he accused the country's leftist leadership of orchestrating a "witch hunt" against his right-wing ally, former leader Jair Bolsonaro. 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 the 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." Firm friends "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." 'Non-economic reasons' 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. Free speech tussle 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. BRICS brawl "It didn't help that the BRICS summit was held in Brazil at a time when 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.
New Straits Times
11-07-2025
- Business
- New Straits Times
Why is Trump lashing out at Brazil?
US President Donald Trump has announced a 50 percent tariff on Brazilian imports as he accused the country's leftist leadership of orchestrating a "witch hunt" against his right-wing ally, former leader Jair Bolsonaro. 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.
