'Taxation is a consequence of Moraes and Lula's attacks on Bolsonaro,' says Trump's deputy secretary

Addressing the political dimension of the 50% tariff imposed on all Brazilian products by US President Donald Trump , US Undersecretary for Public Diplomacy Darren Beattie stated on Monday, the 14th, that the tariff hike is a "long-awaited consequence." According to him, the US government's action was motivated by "attacks" by Justice Alexandre de Moraes of the Federal Supreme Court (STF) and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (Workers' Party) against former President Jair Bolsonaro . When contacted by Estadão , the STF declined to comment.

"President Trump sent a letter imposing long-overdue consequences on the Moraes Supreme Court and the Lula administration for their attacks on Jair Bolsonaro, free speech, and American commerce. Such attacks are a disgrace and far beneath the dignity of Brazil's democratic traditions," the high-ranking American official wrote in English on his X (formerly Twitter) profile.

On Sunday, the 13th, the president of the STF, Minister Luís Roberto Barroso, defended the autonomy of the Brazilian Judiciary and criticized the taxation imposed by the USA.

"President Trump's statements are clear. We will be watching closely," concludes the US Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy. In the letter announcing the rate increase, Donald Trump criticizes the trial of former President Jair Bolsonaro, calling him "an international disgrace" and stating that "this trial should not be taking place. It is a witch hunt that must end IMMEDIATELY!"

The official website of the US Embassy in Brazil replicated and translated the post made by the American public official on his X account, endorsing the message.

According to the official website of the agency where Darren Beattie works, "the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy leads the Department's efforts to expand and strengthen relationships between the people of the United States and citizens of other countries."

"The departments and offices reporting to the Undersecretary promote national interests by seeking to engage, inform, and understand the perspectives of foreign audiences," the definition continues.

Tarifaço has political dimensions

In an interview given to Globonews last Friday, the 11th, the former president's son, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro (PL-RJ), had already admitted that "the sanction that Trump imposes is not merely economic, we all know that, it does have a political bias, and it has an economic bias, because Trump looks at South America and sees where Lula is taking our country."

The new taxes on Brazilian products are set to come into effect on August 1st. Until then, the government is trying to find solutions through an interministerial committee chaired by Vice President Geraldo Alckmin.

In addition to government allies, right-wing figures such as the governor of São Paulo, Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicans), are also trying to negotiate to reverse or postpone the tariff hike.

Regarding the efforts, Paulo Figueiredo, a blogger allied with the former president and federal deputy Eduardo Bolsonaro (PL-SP), who is calling from the US for sanctions in search of amnesty for those convicted on January 8, says that the governor is "unknowingly getting in the way" by trying to reverse the taxes, and is delaying a possible pardon that would be negotiated to avoid the tariffs.