United States President Donald Trump has imposed a new 50% tariff on goods from Brazil in the U.S.
Trump launched his global tariff assault into overdrive on Wednesday, July 9, 2025, announcing a new 50% tariff on U.S. copper imports and a 50% duty on goods from Brazil, both to start on August 1.
“I am announcing a 50% TARIFF on Copper, effective August 1, 2025, after receiving a robust NATIONAL SECURITY ASSESSMENT,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social media platform.
The announcement came hours after the president also informed Brazil that its “reciprocal” tariff on August 1 would rise to 50% from 10%, a shockingly high level for a country with a balanced U.S. trade relationship.
Trump first broached the copper tariff during a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, setting off a scramble by companies to import as much copper as soon as possible from Chile and other major suppliers.
He blamed the decline of the U.S. copper industry on past administrations, saying copper was needed for semiconductors, aircraft, electric vehicle batteries, and military hardware.
“America will, once again, build a DOMINANT Copper Industry,” Trump wrote.
Trump’s Brazil tariff order came in a letter to Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva that vented anger over what he called the “Witch Hunt” trial of Lula’s right-wing predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro, and adding to an increasingly bitter public feud with Lula.
Trump also criticized what he said were Brazil’s attacks on free elections, Americans’ free speech, and “SECRET and UNLAWFUL Censorship Orders to U.S. Social Media platforms.”
He ordered the U.S. Trade Representative’s office to launch a new “Section 301” unfair trade practices investigation that could add even more tariffs, citing “Brazil’s continued attacks on the Digital Trade Activities of American companies.”
Lula responded to Trump’s letter by issuing a statement saying that any unilateral measure to increase tariffs would be met with a response in accordance with Brazilian law.
Brad Setser, a former U.S. trade official now with the Council on Foreign Relations, told Reuters Trump’s action could easily spiral into a damaging trade war between the two democracies.
Brazil is the 15th largest U.S. trading partner, with total two-way trade of $92 billion in 2024, and a rare $7.4 billion U.S. trade surplus, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.
Top U.S. exports to Brazil are commercial aircraft, petroleum products and crude oil, coal and semiconductors, while Brazil’s top exports to the U.S. are crude oil, coffee, semi-finished steel, and pig iron.
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