The 50 per cent tariffs President Donald Trump imposed on Brazil last week are among the highest he has applied on any country thus far in his trade wars.
The reason had nothing to do with Brazil’s trade policies. In fact the US runs a surplus with Brazil. Instead, Trump is using trade policy to make political demands. He wants Brazilian authorities to drop charges against former president Jair Bolsonaro, who is accused of plotting a coup after losing the 2022 election.