Flavio Bolsonaro asks Trump to delay tariffs on Brazil until after election

Brazilian presidential hopeful Flavio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, has asked the Trump administration to delay proposed tariffs on Brazilian goods until after the October election, seeking to counter accusations from President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva that his family helped bring them about.

The Trump administration proposed 25% tariffs in June, citing trade violations including illegal deforestation and unfair electronic payment practices, catching Brazil's government by surprise. Lula had previously said relations were improving after a White House meeting with Trump in May.

The announcement came shortly after Bolsonaro met senior US officials in Washington, prompting allegations at home that he invited US pressure. Lula later said in a social media post that "the origin of all this was motivated by the Bolsonaro family itself" and called Bolsonaro's request to delay the tariffs "yet another act of treason against the Fatherland."

Bolsonaro rejects the allegation, arguing instead that Lula would gain a political advantage if the tariffs were imposed. In a submission to the Office of the US Trade Representative, he wrote that "new US tariffs on Brazilian products would hand the current Brazilian government precisely the political victory it has been engineering."

Brazilian officials have spent months trying to persuade Washington not to proceed with the tariffs. But Bolsonaro says the government hasn't gone far enough to find common ground and is calling for a 180-day delay before any final decision. He noted that "Brazil holds general elections in October 2026, and the political landscape that determines the viability of any negotiated resolution will be redefined within roughly ninety days."

So far, there is little sign his efforts are succeeding. In response to a letter from Bolsonaro, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said US officials still had "substantial differences" with Brazil over the issues justifying the tariffs.

The dispute has divided Brazilians. A Quaest poll published last month found 47% agreed with Lula's claim that Bolsonaro had encouraged the US to impose tariffs, while 35% agreed with Bolsonaro that he had tried to stop them.

Washington has until July 15 to decide whether to impose the tariffs, which would exempt beef, coffee, rare earth minerals, and aircraft parts. They would come on top of tariffs Trump imposed last year over what he described as a "witch hunt" against Jair Bolsonaro.

Bolsonaro has made Brazil's relationship with the US a central part of his campaign, as Trump has taken a more active role in Latin American politics, including the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and backing right-wing candidates across the region.