At the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (A.S.E.A.N.) The summit, held on October 26th, 2026, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, brought together United States President Donald Trump and Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to discuss future negotiations on U.S. tariffs. Trump is allied with Lula’s political rival, former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. After the meeting, Lula stated on X, “We agreed that our teams will meet immediately to advance the search for solutions to the tariffs and sanctions against Brazilian authorities.” Currently, tariffs on Brazil are at 50%.
According to Al Jazeera, Donald Trump’s justification for this rise in tariffs is the prosecution of Jair Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro was sentenced to twenty-seven years by the Brazilian Supreme Court in September 2025 for attempting a coup during the 2022 election between him and Lula (Al Jazeera 2025). During the prosecution of Bolsonaro, Trump signed an executive order to impose the 50% tariffs on Brazil (AP News 2025). The executive order declares that the increase in tariffs is due to a national emergency.
According to the White House’s Addressing Threats to the United States by the Government of Brazil, “Recent policies, practices, and actions of the Government of Brazil threaten the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States. Members of the Government of Brazil have taken actions that interfere with the economy of the United States, infringe the free expression rights of United States persons, violate human rights, and undermine the interest the United States has in protecting its citizens and companies. Members of the Government of Brazil are also politically persecuting a former President of Brazil, which is contributing to the deliberate breakdown in the rule of law in Brazil, to politically motivated intimidation in that country, and to human rights abuses.”
According to the BBC, Trump has compared Bolsonaro’s trial to his own: “That’s very much like they tried to do with me. But they didn’t get away with it at all.” The ‘they’ Trump is referring to is the ‘elites’ or anyone who tried to impeach or prosecute him (and Bolsonaro). Using ‘they’ instead of individual names or even a generalized title, such as Democrats, makes it easier to reject them and their opinions. This is a tactic both Trump and Bolsonaro have utilized throughout their presidencies.
Regardless of Trump’s belief in the Bolsonaro coup and prosecution, he was sentenced to twenty-seven years in prison, although he is currently trying to appeal (BBC 2025). Bolsonaro was found guilty of assisting to conspire with supporters in the January 8th riots. According to NPR, “Supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro stormed Congress and other buildings in the capital of Brasília on Sunday, calling for the military to take over Brazil’s government.” In response to the invasion of governmental buildings, Bolsonaro criticized them on X. He stated peaceful demonstrations are a part of democracy, but “deprivations and invasions of public buildings” are not (NPR 2025). Bolsonaro argues he did not have a part in these events and is instead a victim of a “witch-hunt” (BBC 2025). Bolsonaro claims the Supreme Court, particularly Justice Alexandre de Moraes, abused its power and is allied with Lula.
The tariffs are unnecessary and an attempt to control Brazil because of the prosecution of Jair Bolsonaro. This is an undemocratic use of power. The President of the United States should not punish Brazil for prosecuting a former president who has connections to interference in elections, just because they are allies. The reasoning for the tariffs is ‘human rights concerns’ for Bolsonaro. However, this reasoning lacks nuance. There is no explanation of Bolsonaro’s public health crisis or interjection during voting (Amnesty International 2021). This decision negatively impacts both democracy and the economy in the United States and Brazil. Instead of the implementation on tariffs on Brazil, the United States should have accepted the legitimacy of the Brazilian election.