This Isn’t Foreign Policy. It’s a Warning.

The authoritarian pipeline just went global.

It’s hard to overstate how dangerous this is.

Trump just announced a 50% tariff on all Brazilian imports—not to protect American jobs, not to fix any real trade imbalance (we actually run a surplus with Brazil). This is retaliation. A punishment. A message to Brazil’s judiciary: drop the charges against Bolsonaro… or your economy gets it.

Not diplomacy.
Just extortion draped in red, white, and blue.

And if it sounds familiar, that’s because it is.

Undermine the legitimacy of an election. Stoke conspiracy. Provoke violence. Then cry persecution. Play the martyr.

It’s the same playbook that gave us January 6th. The same myth Trump clings to in his own indictments. And now he’s exporting it—using tariffs as a cudgel to shield a fellow authoritarian from facing justice.

What’s happening in Brazil matters.
Because this isn’t just interference—it’s a test run. A loyalty flex. And proof that Trump will gladly tear down international norms to protect his own reflection.

Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, called it clearly: interference in the sovereignty of another nation. And, more seriously, interference in the judiciary of my country.

And he’s not wrong.

For the full story—and the dangerous details—read this gifted NYT article:

👉 Behind Trump’s Decision to Tax Brazil to Save Bolsonaro

Read it. Share it. And remember:
This isn’t just about Bolsonaro.
It’s about Trump—and the lengths he’ll go to protect his reflection.
This isn’t foreign policy.
It’s a warning.