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PERSPECTIVE

Brazil offers lesson in winning the ‘Taco’ trade

Global politicians need to understand that White House policy is driven by melodrama and instinct

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    • US President Donald Trump (right) on Nov 20 announced that "certain agricultural imports from Brazil should no longer be subject to the additional (40% surcharge)", handing Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva a win.
    • US President Donald Trump (right) on Nov 20 announced that "certain agricultural imports from Brazil should no longer be subject to the additional (40% surcharge)", handing Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva a win. PHOTO: AFP

    Gillian Tett

    Published Sat, Nov 29, 2025 · 07:00 AM

    HOW do you say “Taco” – as in “Trump Always Chickens Out” – in Portuguese? It is a question some Brazilians might ask now, with a smile. 

    Four months ago, US President Donald Trump announced 40 per cent additional tariffs on Brazilian imports (creating 50 per cent total levies), because he was furious about the country’s legal investigation into Jair Bolsonaro, its former president, and its clampdown on American Big Tech. 

    But President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva defiantly hit back at the bullying – boosting his domestic popularity – and defended the courts. A Brazilian judge has now sent Bolsonaro to jail.

    PerspectiveBrazilUnited StatesLuiz Inacio Lula da SilvaTrump tariffsPolitics

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