Tariff-Happy Trump Eyes Brazil: Minerals, Military Bases, & a Bolsonaro Win?

“The only way to read this move is in the context of the elections that are coming up. Donald Trump is going to start rolling out a series of maneuvers and tactics to give open and covert support for Flávio Bolsonaro, who has already said he will give full access to the United States — essentially whatever they want, whether it's minerals, whether it's better trade policies, whether it's military bases.”

The Trump administration just imposed a new 25% tariff on Brazil, after slapping South America’s largest economy with 50% tariffs last year to punish Brazil for prosecuting Jair Bolsonaro for his role in leading the January 2023 attempted coup. Now, ahead of pivotal elections in October, Bolsonaro's son Flávio has emerged as the leading right-wing candidate and is actively seeking Trump's favor, lobbying not just for tariffs on his own country – but for the US to designate Brazilian gangs as foreign terrorist organizations.

“We know what happens when the Trump administration designates gangs in other countries as foreign terrorist organizations — this gives the United States the ability to carry out military operations.”

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