Trump turns Brazilian sovereignty into unfair trade practice, says The Guardian

The British newspaper The Guardian asserted in an editorial that U.S. President Donald Trump is transforming Brazil's sovereign actions into "unfair trade practices." The publication pointed to Brazil's Pix payment system and its efforts to hold digital platforms accountable for anti-democratic and discriminatory content as examples of the Lula administration's sovereign measures.

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Brazil has built a public payment system and claimed jurisdiction over American technology platforms. Trump has reinterpreted this Brazilian sovereignty as unfair trade discrimination. It is as predictable as it is worrying that Bolsonarismo is willing to go along with this.

However, the editorial stated that Trump views these actions as contrary to his interests, thus labeling them as unfair. The Guardian expressed concern over the Bolsonaro family's alignment with Trump in the political arena. "Brazil has built a public payment system and claimed jurisdiction over American technology platforms. Trump has reinterpreted this Brazilian sovereignty as unfair trade discrimination. It is as predictable as it is worrying that Bolsonarismo is willing to go along with this," the publication stated.

The article referenced a June 2025 decision by Brazil's Supreme Federal Court to hold digital platforms responsible for user posts related to hate speech and anti-democratic content. This decision was framed as a response "to the online lies that helped fuel Jair Bolsonaro's failed far-right coup attempt in 2023." The court's measure, impacting companies like X (formerly Twitter), was linked to U.S. tariffs on Brazilian imports, with complaints that judges had compelled American tech companies to remove "political" material.

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to the online lies that helped fuel Jair Bolsonaro's failed far-right coup attempt in 2023.

On Wednesday, Brazil announced new tariffs on Brazilian products, citing unfair trade practices, including long-standing disputes over Brazilian tariffs on ethanol imports and issues with Pix. This measure followed Senator Flávio Bolsonaro's visit to the United States about a week prior, where he argued, according to the newspaper, that Brazil's perceived unfair practices were "the fault of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva." The Guardian's editorial noted that Flávio requested the suspension of tariffs until the elections, suggesting he would soon assume power. "With the White House's decision [to impose tariffs] expected on Wednesday, it was an act of extraordinary audacity [from Flávio]. He was not just lobbying against the tariffs. He was presenting himself as Trump's preferred Brazilian president. [Flávio] Bolsonaro is less charismatic than his father, but he shares the same simplistic anti-leftism, punitive law-and-order policies, and far-right culture wars," the publication stated.

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With the White House's decision [to impose tariffs] expected on Wednesday, it was an act of extraordinary audacity [from Flávio]. He was not just lobbying against the tariffs. He was presenting himself as Trump's preferred Brazilian president. [Flávio] Bolsonaro is less charismatic than his father, but he shares the same simplistic anti-leftism, punitive law-and-order policies, and far-right culture wars.