Trump tariff threat fuels sovereignty clash in Brazil race – Valor International
The threat of a new round of tariffs from U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has thrust national sovereignty back to the center of Brazil’s presidential campaign debate. President Lula and his allies are trying to link Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, a presidential contender, to the economic damage the tariffs could cause, accusing the Bolsonaro family of attempting to “sell out” the country. Flávio Bolsonaro’s campaign, meanwhile, is closely monitoring the U.S. announcement and seeking to counter accusations that it acted against Brazil’s national interests following the senator’s meeting with Trump.
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The U.S. government has proposed a punitive 25% tariff on Brazilian imports after concluding an investigation that found some Brazilian practices unfair in areas including illegal deforestation, piracy, and shortcomings in the enforcement of anti-corruption laws. The Trump administration also criticized Pix, Brazil’s instant payment system, accusing the Central Bank of favoring it over American companies operating in the sector. The possibility of a new tariff package was announced on Tuesday, one week after Flávio Bolsonaro and former congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro met with Trump at the White House in Washington.
Hours after the announcement, Trump shared photos of the meeting with Flávio and Eduardo online, giving Lula’s government and the Workers’ Party new material to link the senator to the tariff threat. On social media, lawmakers and center-left leaders have called the presidential candidate “Tariflávio” and “enemy of Brazil,” while supporting Pix.
Lula, cabinet ministers, and political allies are attempting to use the Bolsonaro family’s actions to weaken Flávio’s standing with the business community. They see the episode as an opportunity to court support from business leaders and investors with four months remaining before the election. Government officials have largely focused their criticism on Flávio while avoiding direct attacks on Trump. The senator, however, quickly said he had asked Trump not to impose tariffs on Brazilian companies, seeking to pre-empt criticism.
Lula, who is seeking re-election, has turned the defense of national sovereignty, Pix, and criticism of the Bolsonaro family into campaign themes. Speaking in Catalão, in the state of Goiás, he linked Flávio and Eduardo’s visit to Trump to the tariff announcement.
“He went there begging for help. He went there to tell Trump to hit Lula because Lula is going to win the election. Idiot. He doesn’t realize he won’t hurt Lula. He’ll hurt the Brazilian people,” Lula said.
“These Bolsonaro sons are even worse than their father. They are, in fact, selling out the nation. They asked a foreign country to interfere in decisions that belong to Brazilians. That’s what you need to say loudly and clearly: they are traitors,” he added.
The president then escalated his rhetoric and misstated a historical fact. “For less than that, Joaquim Silvério dos Reis, who betrayed Tiradentes, was hanged. What should happen to traitors who ask a foreign country to intervene in our country? Think about it, reflect on it.” In fact, it was Tiradentes — Joaquim José da Silva Xavier — who was executed by hanging.
The remarks prompted Flávio Bolsonaro to announce that he intends to seek legal action before Brazil’s Supreme Court against Lula for alleged threats and incitement. In a statement, the senator said that “Lula stated that the senator should meet the same fate as Tiradentes and be executed by hanging.”
At the rally in Catalão, Lula also criticized Flávio Bolsonaro for denying that he had sought measures against Brazil. “The worst kind of human being this country has ever produced. Never has this country seen the level of political degradation represented by this Beagle Boys family,” Lula said, referring to the villains from Disney comics. “Every coward is like that. They say outrageous things and then lack the courage to stand by them.”
The president also recalled that when Trump announced a previous tariff package in July 2025, Flávio and Eduardo Bolsonaro—sons of former president Jair Bolsonaro—publicly celebrated the measure. “What did Bolsonaro’s boys do? One of them, who is running for president, wrote on July 9: ‘Thank you, Trump. Make Brazil free again,’” Lula said. Amid criticism of the Bolsonaro family, Lula posed for photographs holding a sign reading: “Pix belongs to Brazil.”
Flávio Bolsonaro’s campaign strategy has been to separate the tariff debate from his visit to Trump. The senator has repeatedly said he urged the U.S. administration not to target Brazilian companies with tariffs. In an interview with Radio Itatiaia, Flávio described claims that Pix is under threat as “a lie” and accused Lula of trying to frighten Brazilians. “I explicitly asked them: ‘Do not tax Brazilian companies.’ In 2027, you will have a government that will sit down with you and negotiate as an equal,” he said.
Flávio also defended Pix and rejected suggestions that the payment system faces any risk. “Pix is Brazilian,” he said. “This is terrorism that Lula is trying to put into the minds of Brazilians, and it simply does not exist.” In an overture to the business community, Flávio Bolsonaro said he had sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio asking that the United States refrain from imposing tariffs on Brazilian products.
“The imposition of new tariffs would cause serious harm to the Brazilian population — the same citizens who view the United States as a partner and a friend,” Flávio Bolsonaro wrote, according to the letter released by his office. “I am writing to formally reiterate the request I made to you in person: that the United States not impose tariffs on Brazil.”
Despite now criticizing the tariffs, Eduardo Bolsonaro, who lives in the United States, actively lobbied in 2025 for trade sanctions against Brazil following Jair Bolsonaro’s conviction for attempting a coup. That effort was one of the factors that contributed to the 2025 tariff package.
São Paulo Governor Tarcísio de Freitas, an ally of the Bolsonaro family and a candidate for re-election, adopted a different tone from the one he used in 2025 when another Trump tariff package was announced. He said the measure would hurt the economy. “We view this possibility of a new tariff package with great concern. It harms Brazil, Brazilian companies, Brazilian jobs, agribusiness, and industry,” he said during an event in Araras, São Paulo.
Last year, the governor faced criticism for initially supporting Trump’s 50% tariffs and later backing away from that position after pressure from business groups that warned of potential losses.
This article was translated from Valor Econômico using an artificial intelligence tool under the supervision of the Valor International editorial team to ensure accuracy, clarity, and adherence to our editorial standards. Read our Editorial Principles.
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