After announcing smaller tariffs on seven smaller countries Wednesday, President Trump declared that imports from Brazil, one of the biggest US trading partners in the Americas, will be hit with a 50% tariff on Aug. 1. Most of Trump's tariff letters have been almost identical, but the letter to Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva posted on Truth Social took a very different tone, attacking Lula over the prosecution of his predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro, the Guardian reports. Bolsonaro, a Trump ally, is on trial on suspicion of plotting a coup after his 2022 election defeat.
- "The way that Brazil has treated former President Bolsonaro, a Highly Respected Leader during his Term, including by the United States, is an international disgrace," Trump wrote. "This Trial should not be taking place. It is a Witch Hunt THAT should end IMMEDIATELY!