'Deepening rupture before the elections' and 'high risks': how the international press reported a 25% US tariff against Brazil

Tariff: USA confirms 25% charge on Brazilian products The international press highlighted the United States government's decision to apply 25% tariffs on a series of Brazilian products, announced on Wednesday (15/07) after the end of the investigation into commercial practices conducted by the Office of the American Trade Representative (USTR). The decision was endorsed by American President Donald Trump and will come into force on July 22. ? Follow the g1 international news channel on WhatsApp When reporting the decision, the British newspaper Financial Times stated that the tariffs were announced in the face of "a growing rupture in bilateral relations" before the next Brazilian elections. According to the report, the USTR cited "unfair commercial practices in areas such as electronic payments, the ethanol market, intellectual property, combating corruption and environmental protection" to justify the tariffs. A US government source also told the FT that the White House had been trying to negotiate with the Brazilian government "for over a year". Also according to the newspaper, at a time when President Donald Trump seeks to reaffirm US influence in Latin America, "Brazil's left-wing government sees the complaints as motivated by political, not commercial, issues." 'Deepening rupture before the elections' and 'high risks': how the international press reported a 25% US tariff against Brazil. Reuters via BBC "The import tax is the latest in a series of US measures against Brazil that have fueled diplomatic tensions between the two largest democracies in the Americas," says the report. The FT also states that supporters of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) fear that the hardening of the US position towards Brazil — which also included the classification of Brazilian criminal factions as terrorist organizations in June — could escalate to interference in the October elections. The American newspaper The New York Times also highlights the impact that the new tariff could have on the presidential race: "The new tariff is likely to become a political issue in Brazil before the presidential elections in October." The report highlights the position of the Lula government, which accuses its opponent, senator and pre-candidate Flávio Bolsonaro (PL-RJ), of having advocated in favor of taxation in meetings at the White House. Flávio met with Trump days before the USTR recommended the application of the tariff. The son of former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) denies the accusations and claims to have asked Washington to suspend the imposition of tariffs. "Meanwhile, diplomatic tensions with Trump contributed to increasing Lula's popularity. The Brazilian leader classified the economic measures as politically motivated, accusing Trump of threatening the country's sovereignty," says the NYT. 'Trump government imposes 25% tariff on Brazil amid deterioration in bilateral relations', says the FT headline. Reproduction/FT via BBC In a report on its website, the American network CNN Internacional detailed the American announcement about the tariff. "The United States Trade Representative (USTR), Jamieson Greer, announced the measures on Wednesday night in a statement, stating that the investigation concluded that Brazilian policies harm the interests of Americans with practices related to digital trade, unfair preferential tariffs, access to the ethanol market and other areas", says the article. Some goods that are not produced in the US and that could disrupt supply chains are exempt, the report explains, citing the USTR statement. Exceptions include coffee, beef, oranges and orange juice, certain ethanol products, and aerospace parts and components. After the American announcement, the Brazilian government said that July 15th "will go down in the history of relations between Brazil and the USA as a regrettable milestone". In a note, Brazil also stated that it will begin the procedures to activate the Reciprocity Law approved by the National Congress with the World Trade Organization (WTO). 'Brazil condemns the US move to impose 25% tariffs next week', says the British The Guardian. Reproduction/The Guardian via BBC In its own report on the topic, the British newspaper The Guardian further detailed that the tariff will be imposed based on section 301 of the 1974 Trade Act, which allows the US to launch an investigation into the commercial practices of other countries. "In February, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against many of the tariffs imposed by Trump under a different law, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) of 1977. The court found that he overstepped his authority under that law by imposing sweeping tariffs on U.S. trading partners, including Brazil," it reads. Previously, Trump had imposed, based on this law, a 50% tariff on Brazil in protest against the lawsuit filed by the country against Jair Bolsonaro for trying to reverse his defeat in the 2022 elections, the Guardian further detailed, which states that Trump's "relationship with Lula appeared to improve in May, when the Brazilian president visited the White House." 'High risks' For the Bloomberg news agency, "the risks are high for both countries". "The United States is Brazil's second largest trading partner and one of the few large economies with which the country has a trade deficit. Brazil imported more than US$45 billion in American products in 2025, an increase of 11% compared to the previous year, while exports fell almost 7%, with crude oil representing 12.5% ??of exports", says the report. The article also states that despite the escalation of the dispute, both governments are still trying to avoid a broader trade conflict. "Greer has met repeatedly with Brazilian Commerce Minister Márcio Elias in recent months in search of a solution. The Lula government intends to continue negotiating until the last possible moment, but has ruled out concessions that it considers politically or legally unacceptable, including changes to the Pix payments system, according to a person familiar with the negotiations," the article says.