Fact Check: Did Trump impose 100% tariff on Brazil prompting Lula to cut trade with US?
WASHINGTON, DC: After Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva defeated Trump ally Flavio Bolsonaro in Brazil's presidential election, a rumor began circulating on social media claiming that President Donald Trump had imposed a 100% tariff on Brazil, prompting Lula to cut trade with the US. The claim sparked speculation and calls for a fact check.
The viral post alleged that the US had threatened to impose tariffs on all Brazilian agricultural goods unless the country signed a global climate pact. It also claimed that Lula retaliated by stopping exports of soy, beef and green coffee to North America.
Claim: Trump imposed a 100% tariff on Brazil, triggering a trade war
Breaking🚨; 🇺🇸 US Trade Rep: "We are slapping a 100% tariff on all Brazilian agricultural goods until you sign our global climate pact!" 🇧🇷 Brazilian President: "Effective tonight: Brazil stops all exports of soy, beef, and green coffee to North America. Zero shipments." 🇺🇸 US Trade Rep: "You are spiking food inflation across our entire nation! You are starving our supply chains! This is economic warfare!" 🇧🇷 Brazilian President: "You exploit our resources, dictate our policies, and call our rainforest your carbon sink. Feed your livestock with your climate pacts." 🔥👏 🇺🇸 US Trade Rep: "We will freeze every dollar account and sanction your Central Bank into oblivion!" 🇧🇷 Brazilian President: "To enforce financial sanctions, your populace needs to be fed and calm. Good luck explaining $15 coffee and empty meat aisles to your voters."
— Us_militryPower (@Trumpspoof__) October 31, 2026
The claim surfaced in an X post accompanied by an image of Trump and Lula, showing what appeared to be a heated exchange between the newly elected Brazilian president and a US trade representative.
According to the post, the US representative said, "We are slapping a 100% tariff on all Brazilian agricultural goods until you sign our global climate pact!" Lula allegedly responded, "Effective tonight: Brazil stops all exports of soy, beef, and green coffee to North America. Zero shipments."
The alleged exchange continued with the US representative accusing Brazil of driving up food inflation and disrupting supply chains. Lula reportedly responded, "You exploit our resources, dictate our policies, and call our rainforest your carbon sink. Feed your livestock with your climate pacts."
The post ended with an alleged threat from the US representative to freeze dollar accounts and sanction Brazil's central bank. Lula supposedly replied, "To enforce financial sanctions, your populace needs to be fed and calm. Good luck explaining $15 coffee and empty meat aisles to your voters."
Fact Check: The claim originated from a satire account
The claim, however, is false, as there is no evidence that the US imposed a 100% tariff on Brazil or that Lula announced a complete halt to trade with the US.
There are no publicly available transcripts, official statements, press conferences or social media posts from Trump or Lula supporting the alleged exchange.
If such an exchange had taken place, prominent news outlets would likely have reported on it.
Moreover, the claim was posted by an X account called 'US military power', which describes itself in its bio as a 'parody account'.
Donald Trump calls Brazil's election corrupt
The claim surfaced following Lula's victory in Brazil's presidential election, to which Trump reacted by saying, "I didn’t take sides, I didn’t endorse anybody or anything, but I watched the election, and it looks so corrupt. So terrible."
Lula had previously defied Trump on issues such as tariffs, and his election victory sparked backlash from some Trump aides, including Steve Bannon, who called on Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to cut off diplomatic relations with Brazil.
