stef 🫴🇮🇪

I don't even know where to begin but I'm feeling ranty today, I guess, so lfg. in 2024, the US had a trade surplus with Brazil to the tune of $7.4bln, a 39% increase over 2023. Trump is proposing 50% tariffs on Brazil, ostensibly over trade. transparently, we see it's to punish them for prosecuting a criminal he likes while claiming we have a "very unfair trade relationship." Brazil is currently a significant exporter of beef to the US, making up for shortages in domestic production, but I'll get to that later. along with an earlier decree of 10% tariffs on any country that aligns with the "anti-American policies of BRICS," he rants today in an open letter to Lula about "hundreds of secret and unlawful censorship orders to US social media platforms" (a move he calls "insidious attacks on... the fundamental Free Speech Rights of Americans") and the "witch hunt" against Bolsonaro. in the letter, Trump refers to Bolsonaro as "a Highly Respected Leader throughout the World during his Term, including by the United States." as a reminder, during Bolsonaro's term, he: relaxed gun control restrictions, weakened protections for indigenous lands and communities, transferred the oversight on indigenous land to the Agriculture Ministry (a conflict of interest with grave outcomes), enabled illegal mining, increased Amazon deforestation to the highest level in more than 15 years, weakened environmental protections and cut budgets for key organizations, reduced support and protection for LGBTQ communities, falsely claimed people who were vaccinated for COVID-19 were at a higher risk of contracting AIDS, and had to pay damages for slandering one journalist and making sexual comments to another. the "witch hunt" Trump refers to is regarding multiple charges related to allegations he formed a criminal organization and attempted a coup to remain in power when he lost the election to Lula in 2022. how familiar. ftr, he's also told a congresswoman she wasn't worthy of being raped, said in an interview he wouldn't love his gay son, said "a policeman who doesn't kill isn't a policeman," and is nostalgic for Brazil's military dictatorship. how familiar. (shout-out to I'm Still Here, a 2024 film/bp nom based on a true story and set during Brazil's military rule - you should see if you haven't) back to the beef: I'll be a bit of an opportunist here for a topic close to my heart and take this moment to post a map of the companies in the US and abroad who are the largest contributors to Amazon deforestation. these are some of your importers who will see a 50% tariff. beef is the primary driver of deforestation in the Amazon (Brazil is the world's largest beef exporter and could become the largest producer - replacing the US - in 2026). in April 2025, Brazil exported a reported 48,000 metric tons of beef to the US (up from 8,000 tons in April 2024) and, because of the US obsession with beef products, this is largely attributed to a cattle shortage and the "need" for foreign meat not being produced domestically. Trump declares the 50% tariffs are needed to "level the playing field" and "rectify grave injustices of the current regime," claiming Brazil can avoid them by building or manufacturing in the US. but he's simply attempting to bully a trade partner - with which we have a surplus! - to save a dictator with a deplorable record in ecological and social/human rights that he tries to justify with arguments of economics. how familiar.