U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday slapped a 50% tariff on most Brazilian goods,
some of the steepest levied on any economy in the U.S. trade war.
However, Trump softened the blow by excluding sectors such as aircraft, energy and orange juice from heavier levies.
Trump says the tariff is an effort to fight what he has called a “witch hunt” against former President Jair Bolsonaro, his close ideological ally.
Bolsonaro is currently standing trial on charges of plotting to overturn his 2022 electoral loss.
In addition to the 50% tariff, Trump’s administration also unveiled sanctions on the Brazilian Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing the trial.
Trump’s final tariff order and the sanctions followed weeks of sparring with Brazilian leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who has likened the U.S. president to an unwanted “emperor.”
The range of exemptions on dozens of key Brazilian exports to the United States came as a relief for many in Brasilia.
