Overview Logo
Article Main Image

Tariffs: Brazil will be called to negotiate, Trump administration emissaries tell US businesspeople

Estadão

Brazil

Thursday, July 31


Alternative Takes

The World's Current Take

US Policy and Implementation

Impact on Specific Countries


1:45

BRASÍLIA - Brazil will be called to negotiate with the US government, Trump administration emissaries revealed to US businesspeople, as reported by Estadão/Broadcast. The date, however, is still being defined and has not been disclosed by the interlocutors.

American businesspeople, in contact with Brazilian counterparts, state that, so far, the agreements the United States has signed with partner countries have followed the order of trade surplus. The priority, according to them, has been markets with which the United States has a trade deficit—such as the European Union, Japan, and Indonesia, they cite.

Meanwhile, the US has a trade surplus with Brazil, which was US$253 million in 2024, according to data from the Ministry of Development, Industry, Commerce, and Services (MDIC). Under this assumption, Brazil was left at the"back of the line."

The strategy was relayed by US government secretaries and White House advisers to local businesspeople. However, interlocutors emphasize that there is a political component to the bilateral negotiations that cannot be ignored.

This Thursday, in the executive order on Brazil's tariff hike, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, demanded that the Brazilian government take action against the Minister of the Supreme Federal Court (STF) Alexandre de Moraes and align itself with American interests as a condition for reviewing the 50% tariffs applied against products from Brazil.

In the text, Trump claims there is a"national emergency" in Brazil. According to him, the Brazilian government's actions have"threatened American national security, foreign policy, and the economy." The US president mentions Moraes by name, speaks of"abuse of judicial authority," and also mentions "political persecution" against former President Jair Bolsonaro.

Although the list of exceptions with 694 items published this Thursday was a brighter development for Brazil, Brazilian diplomacy is still wary of developments so far regarding the tariff escalation saga, which began in April with Liberation Day. The assessment at the Planalto Palace and the Esplanade continues that the actions imposed so far in the trade sector regarding Brazil have political, not economic, issues as their backdrop.

Since the list, which was read as a Trump retreat, the most talked about word was relief because of the race against time, which was the main domestic battle until now - initially, the new tariffs were scheduled to come into effect this Friday, the 1st.

Negotiators, however, still do not see that this is an opportune moment for celebrations because, despite the various fronts created by the government, all decisions thus far have been made unilaterally by the US, and not the result of bilateral discussions.

Earlier, Estadão/Broadcast reported that negotiators saw little room for negotiations because everything would be in Trump's hands. Generally speaking, after the extensive list of exceptions, officials were left unclear about what it might actually mean.

As reported yesterday by Estadão/Broadcast, the parallel publication of the decree containing the list of exceptions surprised the Executive Branch. The Brazilian government's focus at this stage was initially on negotiating the general 50% tariff and the effective date of the surcharge. The Brazilian government expected to negotiate exceptions to be excluded from the tariff only later.

Another interlocutor commented that, with a centralizing president who is not fond of predictability, there is a fear that new negative news could reach the front at any moment. Despite this, all of Brazil's endeavors have been evaluated as positive so far and, possibly, embryos for actions that should be taken later.

These include the teleconferences held between Vice President and Minister of Development Geraldo Alckmin, the delegation of senators to Washington, and the meeting between Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, also in the American capital.

Get the full experience in the app

Scroll the Globe, Pick a Country, See their News

International stories that aren't found anywhere else.

Global News, Local Perspective

50 countries, 150 news sites, 500 articles a day.

Don’t Miss what Gets Missed

Explore international stories overlooked by American media.

Unfiltered, Uncensored, Unbiased

Articles are translated to English so you get a unique view into their world.

Apple App Store Badge