Understanding Trump’s Shift on Brazil
After a surprising encounter at the UN, a modest deal may indeed be possible, writes AQ’s editor-in-chief.
Donald Trump’s Brazil strategy was not working. Instead of helping former President Jair Bolsonaro avoid prison, or be allowed to run again in 2026, a barrage of U.S. tariffs and sanctions was having the opposite effect—hastening Bolsonaro’s conviction while boosting the popularity of his rival, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Brazil’s economy seemed to handle the strains surprisingly well, while a procession of business leaders to the White House in recent weeks warned of risks to U.S. inflation from coffee, beef and other goods. So the U.S. president did what he...
Read this article on the Americas Quarterly website. | Subscribe to AQ.
