Brazil's Lula warns of 50% tariffs on U.S. goods after Trump trade threat

Carrie Kahn

A container ship docked at the Port of Rio de Janeiro in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Thursday, July 10, 2025.

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil — Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva says the U.S. must respect his country — and he's ready to impose retaliatory tariffs if President Donald Trump goes ahead with a threat to slap a 50% tax on Brazilian imports starting in Aug. 1.

Trump posted the warning in a letter on social media, citing what he called a "witch hunt" against Brazil's former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro, who is currently on trial for trying to overturn the 2022 election. Trump demanded the case be dropped, calling Bolsonaro "a Highly Respected Leader throughout the World."

Lula said in an interview posted to his offical media account that at first he thought the letter from Trump was a fake.

Brazil's Lula warns of 50% tariffs on U.S. goods after Trump trade threat

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