Weaponizing Trade: The US sets a dangerous precedent with Brazil tariffs

In a move as audacious as it is alarming, President Donald Trump’s 9 July letter announcing a 50% tariff on all Brazilian imports marks a deeply troubling shift in the use of trade policy as a tool of political coercion. Ostensibly justified on the basis of US "interests," the action represents an unprecedented breach of international trade norms, motivated not by economic grievance but by a thinly veiled desire to influence the domestic political landscape of another sovereign state.

Trump’s justification, his personal dissatisfaction with the treatment of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, transforms a standard trade instrument into a weapon of political retaliation. This is not a dispute over tariffs, non-tariffs, subsidies, or dumping. It is a direct attempt to pressure Brazil’s judiciary and shape its internal political outcomes. Such a move goes far beyond accepted practice and threatens the very foundation of the global trading system.

The United States has long positioned itself as a champion of democracy and self-determination. Yet these tariffs send a very different message, that democratic institutions are only to be respected when they deliver outcomes approved by Washington. By attempting to punish Brazil for allowing its courts to operate independently, the US risks eroding its own credibility and moral authority in defending the democratic process worldwide.

The economic consequences will also be significant. For Brazil, these sweeping tariffs could severely damage export industries, further strain its economy, and alienate a historically important trading partner. For US businesses and consumers, the result will be higher prices, disrupted supply chains, and mounting uncertainty. More broadly, this action contributes to a growing mistrust between nations, weakening the very cooperation needed to address shared global challenges, from climate change to security.