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Trump Administration Imposes 25 Percent Tariff on Brazil

State of the Union: The Trump administration issued new levies on the country partly in punishment for the treatment of its former President Jair Bolsonaro.
US President Trump meets with Brazilian President Lula da Silva at the White House
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The Trump administration on Wednesday announced that it would impose a new Section 301 tariff of 25 percent on Brazil for alleged unfair trade practices. 

The tariff would impose new import charges on a wide range of goods from the South American nation but exempt some major categories including oranges, coffee, oil and gas, as well as beef. 

These new tariffs come as the Trump administration reimposes tariffs struck down by the Supreme Court earlier this year. President Donald Trump has increased pressures on the Brazilian government in part for its treatment of Jair Bolsonaro, the former Brazilian president and Trump’s political ally, who in 2025 was sentenced to 27 years in prison for leading a coup plot following his loss in the 2022 presidential election.

Some of the exemptions had precedents in the earlier round of tariffs. The Trump administration reportedly considered exempting beef imports following a White House visit from Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The proposal met significant backlash from the U.S. cattle industry, delaying an order that would have suspended the tariff-rate quota to lower beef prices. 

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