Brazil’s government announced Thursday it will immediately initiate procedures under its reciprocity law in response to the 25% tariffs imposed by the United States on certain Brazilian products, while attributing the dispute to the family of former President Jair Bolsonaro.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva described July 15, 2026, as a regrettable moment in the two countries’ relations, in a statement shared on social media.

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Lula’s administration dismissed the Trump administration’s decision to levy the duties under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, asserting there is no justification for unilateral measures and citing U.S. trade statistics that show a $424.5 billion surplus in favor of the United States over the past 15 years.

The U.S. Trade Representative’s Office, following a year-long probe, had concluded that several Brazilian policies—including the PIX electronic payment system, anti-corruption enforcement, intellectual property protection, ethanol market access, and illegal deforestation—were unreasonable and restricted US commerce.

The Brazilian government rejected the legitimacy of investigations not grounded in multilateral trade rules, noting that 76% of U.S. imports entered Brazil duty-free in 2025 and that the average effective tariff on U.S. goods was just 3.1%. Officials also stressed they remained at the negotiating table throughout the past year and presented evidence they claim refutes all accusations of unfair practices.

The Executive defended its PIX system and social media regulation, vowing not to abandon efforts to protect families and children from the greed of what it called a handful of “techno-oligarchs.”

Lula’s statement further blamed the Bolsonaro family for the tariff escalation, pointing to active collaboration in constructing the narrative that led to the Section 301 outcome. The head of government accused them of being “false patriots” who planned and publicly defended actions against Brazil for electoral purposes, with less than three months until the presidential elections—expected to be a contest between Lula and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, the former president’s eldest son.

Jair Bolsonaro is currently serving a 27-year home sentence for an attempted coup against Lula. Separately, Eduardo Bolsonaro, another son of the former far-right leader, was sentenced last month by Brazil’s Supreme Court to four years in an initial semi-open regime for promoting U.S. sanctions against Brazil to undermine the coup-related trial of his father.

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