International media points to political bias and a 'markedly different tone' in tariffs on Brazil

The news that US President Donald Trump announced the imposition of a 50% tariff on all products imported from Brazil starting August 1st also resonated in the international media this Wednesday.

The Wall Street Journal focused on the fact that the Trump administration is involved in a dispute with the Supreme Federal Court (STF) over the measures taken by Alexandre de Moraes to suppress hate speech from the Brazilian far right, both in the country and in the US - as well as the Republican's support for former President Jair Bolsonaro .

According to Reuters , the order for the U.S. Trade Representative's office to open an unfair trade practices investigation into Brazil's policies, under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, could lead to new tariffs on Brazilian exports.

Bloomberg, meanwhile, focuses on the impact on domestic assets, with the real falling nearly 3% against the dollar following the announcement, while the MSCI Brazil ETF - the largest exchange-traded fund listed in the US that tracks the country's stocks - fell nearly 2% in after-hours trading.

The rapid escalation of the dispute has the potential for major economic and political repercussions, especially on Brazilian soil, The New York Times points out, stating that the US is Brazil's second-largest trading partner, after China, and Trump appears to be demanding an end to Bolsonaro's accusation to suspend the high tariffs.

The Financial Times notes that while other countries received nearly identical letters that referred to the strength and commitment of the trade relationship with the US, the text for Latin America's most populous nation had a "markedly different tone."

The US government recorded a US$7.4 billion trade surplus with Brazil in 2024, the British publication highlights, exemplifying that the American president's deficit justification makes no sense.

"The intervention on Bolsonaro's behalf will embolden Brazil's far-right movement, which claims that the judicial crackdown on digital disinformation unfairly targets conservatives," the FT adds.

France's Le Monde recalled that on Monday, Trump threatened to impose additional tariffs on "any country that aligns itself with the anti-American policies of BRICS," a bloc currently chaired by Brazil. At a summit in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday, BRICS criticized the White House resident's trade war with tariff surcharges.