President Donald Trump plans to initiate a Section 301 investigation into Brazil, he said in a letter posted to Truth Social Wednesday.
Trump says he is calling for the probe due, in part, to Brazil’s “digital trade” policies that allegedly restrict the use of U.S.-based social media platforms within the country.
The letter, which features much of the same language included in those addressed to countries such as Japan and South Korea this week, also says the U.S. will begin charging a 50% tariff on imports from Brazil, effective Aug. 1.
Trump has posted 22 letters outlining country-specific tariff rates so far this week, setting the planned implementation of such duties to Aug. 1. The letter to Brazil is the first to include language decrying a specific offense by a trading partner beyond unfair tariffs and trade policies.
Brazil was not included among the countries subject to Trump’s original announcement of country-specific recirprocal tariffs, which were originally set to begin on April 9 but have been delayed multiple times. Imports from the country have instead faced a 10% baseline tariff from the U.S.
However, the U.S. has previously set tariffs on steel imports from Brazil, a major source of the metal. Steel imports from all countries currently face a 50% tariff under Section 232.
The president this week also threatened an additional 10% tariff on countries aligned with BRICS, a bloc of nations that includes Brazil.
Editor’s note: This story is developing and will be updated.
