Create account

Gone quiet · last update Jul 16, 2026 / Brazil

Trump's 50% tariff on Brazil, which he tied to Jair Bolsonaro's trial

Overview · reviewed October 24, 2026

President Donald Trump imposed on Brazil in July 2025 that he tied to the criminal trial of his ally Jair Bolsonaro, the country's former president, and later exempted coffee, beef and other foods amid growing American frustration over the cost of living.[1][2] In July 2026 his administration added a 25% tariff on some Brazilian goods, citing unfair trade practices.[3]

Read the timeline

Follow this story to see new developments when you return.

In July 2026 his administration added a 25% tariff on some Brazilian goods, citing unfair trade practices.[3]

Coverage over time

Share of tracked outlets · weekly (UTC)

Week of 2025-07-07 (UTC): 18%, 34 of 191 tracked outlets (9 left, 18 center, 7 right)Week of 2025-07-14 (UTC): 4%, 7 of 184 tracked outlets (3 left, 3 center, 1 right)Week of 2025-07-21 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-07-28 (UTC): 2%, 3 of 187 tracked outlets (0 left, 2 center, 1 right)Week of 2025-08-04 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-08-11 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-08-18 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-08-25 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-09-01 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-09-08 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-09-15 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-09-22 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-09-29 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-10-06 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-10-13 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-10-20 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-10-27 (UTC): 8%, 14 of 174 tracked outlets (6 left, 2 center, 6 right)Week of 2025-11-03 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-11-10 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-11-17 (UTC): 5%, 10 of 189 tracked outlets (1 left, 7 center, 2 right)Week of 2025-11-24 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-12-01 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-12-08 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-12-15 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-12-22 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-12-29 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-01-05 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-01-12 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-01-19 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-01-26 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-02-02 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-02-09 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-02-16 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-02-23 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-03-02 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-03-09 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-03-16 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-03-23 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-03-30 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-04-06 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-04-13 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-04-20 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-04-27 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-05-04 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-05-11 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-05-18 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-05-25 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-01 (UTC): 3%, 5 of 186 tracked outlets (2 left, 2 center, 1 right)Week of 2026-06-08 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-15 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-22 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-29 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-07-06 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-07-13 (UTC): 7%, 41 of 559 tracked outlets (10 left, 20 center, 11 right)Week of 2026-07-20 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-07-27 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-03 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-10 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-17 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-24 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-31 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-07 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-14 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-21 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-28 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-05 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-12 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-19 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-26 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-11-02 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-11-09 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outlets, so far

LeftCenterRightLighter bar: this week so far

Each bar is the share of the outlets on our Left / Center / Right rating scale that we tracked publishing that week which carried reporting on this story, split by the outlets' ratings. We track more outlets now than in the archive, so a share keeps earlier and later weeks comparable. An outlet counts once a week however much it published, and outlets in one ownership or syndication group count as one on each side they appear on. A rating describes the outlet, not the report. A gap means no such reports were collected that week, not that nothing was reported anywhere. Weeks run Monday to Sunday in UTC, so a report published on a Sunday evening in US Eastern time counts in the next week. 5 more outlets off the scale (not rated, or outside the left-right graphs) also reported; they are not in this chart. See them.

Weekly counts, outlets and reports (7 weeks with coverage)
Outlets on the rating scale that carried this story each week, of the outlets tracked that week, newest first
Week of (UTC)LeftCenterRightOf trackedShareReceipts
Jul 13, 202610201141 of 5597%
Jun 1, 20262215 of 1863%
Nov 17, 202517210 of 1895%
Oct 27, 202562614 of 1748%
Jul 28, 20250213 of 1872%
Jul 14, 20253317 of 1844%
Jul 7, 2025918734 of 19118%

Latest coverage

The newest reporting in this story's record.

  1. Jul 15, 2026 · first reported · Headline from WFMZ Allentown

    Brazil calls Trump’s 25% tariff unjustifiable, vows to impose reciprocal tariffs

Background

Trump announced on July 9, 2025, that he would impose a 50% tariff on Brazilian goods, citing Bolsonaro's trial and Brazil's trade policies. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva called the threat an attack on Brazil's sovereignty and said he would retaliate.[4] Lula called the tariffs "unacceptable blackmail" and vowed to use Brazil's reciprocity law if negotiations failed,[5] and traders warned that Americans would pay more for coffee and orange juice.[6] On July 30, Trump ordered the tariffs and imposed sanctions on the judge overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.[1] The cases against Bolsonaro are followed in a separate arc.

Read the full background (2 more paragraphs)

Relations thawed that fall. After meeting Trump in Malaysia in October, Lula said he expected a trade deal within days.[7] Five Republican senators joined Democrats in voting to end the national emergency Trump had declared as the basis for the Brazil tariffs.[8] In November, Trump lifted the additional tariffs, set at 40% in July, on Brazilian coffee, beef and fruit.[2]

A new round followed in 2026. In June, after an investigation by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the administration proposed 25% tariffs on Brazilian imports, although the United States runs a large trade surplus with Brazil. It cited trade practices it called unreasonable, including on deforestation and digital trade, and Lula said he received the decision "with indignation."[9] The tariffs were set to take effect on July 22 under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, exempting coffee and beef, and Brazil said it planned reciprocal tariffs.[3] Trump's wider second-term tariffs are followed in a separate arc.

Supporting stories (9)
  1. Trump punishes Brazil with tariffs, sanctions over trial of ally Bolsonaro
  2. Trump expands tariff relief on coffee, fruit and beef from Brazil
  3. U.S. imposing a 25% tariff on some Brazilian imports starting July 22, citing unfair trade practices
  4. Trump to impose 50% tariff on Brazil over Bolsonaro trial and trade policies
  5. Brazil's Lula says Trump tariffs 'unacceptable blackmail' – DW
  6. Trump's 50% tariff on Brazilian goods like coffee and orange juice could drive up US breakfast costs
  7. Lula is optimistic there will be a U.S.-Brazil trade deal after meeting with Trump in Malaysia
  8. Five Senate Republicans join Democrats to rebuke Trump’s Brazil tariffs
  9. Trump administration proposes 25% tariffs on Brazil despite extensive US trade surplus

The full record

Each date is when an update was first reported.

All 9 recorded updates

July 2026

  1. U.S. imposing a 25% tariff on some Brazilian imports starting July 22, citing unfair trade practicesHeadline from The Columbian · 45 outlets

June 2026

  1. Trump administration proposes 25% tariffs on Brazil despite extensive US trade surplusHeadline from KOB 4 · 7 outlets

November 2025

  1. Trump expands tariff relief on coffee, fruit and beef from BrazilHeadline from ABC 7 New York · 10 outlets

October 2025

  1. Five Senate Republicans join Democrats to rebuke Trump’s Brazil tariffsHeadline from CNN · 8 outlets
  2. Lula is optimistic there will be a U.S.-Brazil trade deal after meeting with Trump in MalaysiaHeadline from NBC News · 7 outlets

July 2025

  1. Trump punishes Brazil with tariffs, sanctions over trial of ally BolsonaroHeadline from Digital Journal · 5 outlets
  2. Brazil's Lula says Trump tariffs 'unacceptable blackmail' – DWHeadline from Deutsche Welle · 15 outlets
  3. Trump's 50% tariff on Brazilian goods like coffee and orange juice could drive up US breakfast costsHeadline from WHEC Rochester · 7 outlets
  4. Trump to impose 50% tariff on Brazil over Bolsonaro trial and trade policiesHeadline from BNO News · 33 outlets

Coverage & sources

Read the reports, see how much was collected over time, or compare outlets by political leaning.

Coverage & sources →