U.S. President Donald Trump has withdrawn the 40% additional tariff that had been imposed on major Brazilian agricultural products, including coffee, beef and tropical fruit.
According to an executive order titled "Revision of tariff application scope on the Government of Brazil" released by the White House on the 20th (local time), the 40% additional tariff on certain Brazilian agricultural products was exempted as of 12:01 a.m. Eastern time on the 13th, with retroactive effect.
As a result, the tariff rate on dozens of Brazilian agricultural products became 0%, because on the 14th Trump signed an executive order exempting these agricultural products from country-specific tariffs, and the basic tariff (10%) that had been imposed on key agricultural products had already been removed.
Until now, Brazilian imports in the United States had a tariff rate of 50%, with a basic tariff (10%) plus an additional tariff (40%). Trump claimed that former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was facing political persecution in his country, and signed an executive order adding a 40% tariff, which led to this outcome.
As for the reason for easing the tariffs, Trump said he spoke by phone last month with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and agreed to begin tariff negotiations, and that U.S. officials made progress in initial talks with Brazil, adding that various considerations were taken into account.
However, the prevailing analysis is that the practical reason for this decision is high inflation. According to a poll released by Reuters on the 18th, Trump's recent approval rating was 38%, the lowest since returning to power, and public dissatisfaction with the cost of living was found to be overwhelming.