President Donald Trump signed a new executive order Thursday rolling back the 40 percent tariffs placed on Brazilian coffee, beef, and other agricultural imports—marking a strategic recalibration of a policy originally enacted to check escalating threats to democratic norms and free expression in Brazil. The initial tariffs, imposed in July, were tied directly to Brazil being designated a “national security threat” after a wave of politically targeted prosecutions against former President Jair Bolsonaro and other conservative voices, along with sweeping censorship orders issued by Justice Alexandre de Moraes. De Moraes’s actions drew human rights sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Act, underscoring the severity of the situation and the need for a firm U.S. response.
Trump’s updated decision follows an October 6 phone call with Brazil’s leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, in which both leaders agreed to open negotiations addressing the concerns outlined in the July order. “These negotiations are ongoing,” Trump noted, explaining that additional briefings from U.S. officials monitoring Brazil’s political climate made it “necessary and appropriate to deal with the national emergency declared in Executive Order 14323.” The modification applies to Brazilian imports entering the country on or after November 13—the same day Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira in Washington, signaling a coordinated diplomatic front. Trump attached an updated annex detailing exactly which imports would see tariff adjustments, reflecting a targeted approach rooted in national-security review rather than blanket economic penalties.
Lula was quick to praise the move in a video posted to his social media accounts, celebrating Trump’s decision as “a step in the right direction,” while insisting “we need to go even further.” He called the tariff rollback “a victory for dialogue, diplomacy, and common sense,” crediting negotiations led by his vice president and cabinet ministers. “We will continue this dialogue with President Trump, guided by our sovereignty and the interests of Brazilian workers, agriculture, and industry,” Lula added—making clear Brazil intends to push for deeper concessions.
The shift underscores a broader theme of this administration’s trade strategy: using economic pressure not as a permanent burden on American consumers and producers, but as leverage to drive reforms abroad when foreign governments threaten free markets, free speech, and political pluralism. The July tariffs sent a message that the United States will push back when powerful foreign officials weaponize government institutions against political opponents or censor American companies. The new executive order signals that Washington remains willing to adjust when strategic goals advance—so long as the national-security concerns at the heart of the original decision continue to be addressed.
