Trump vs. Lula: Trump’s Arrogance Toward Brazil and the LAC Is a Threat to Us All.

Unf*cking The Republic

UNFTR Media

Government, News, Politics

4.9 • 683 Ratings

🗓️ 4 August 2025

⏱️ 25 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Donald Trump recently announced a new round of tariffs including outrageous ones on Brazil that bring the effective tariff rate to 50%. Forget that we have a surplus with Brazil or that they’re one of the biggest economies in Latin America, one of our closest allies historically and the biggest democracy in South America. Trump’s upset that the Lula administration is targeting his friend Jair Bolsonaro, dubbed the “Trump of the Tropics.” Or so he claims. There’s a lot more to this ridiculous and misguided trade war than hurt feelings and bad economics. It’s about Brazil’s leadership of the BRICS+ alliance that threatens to undermine Trump’s plan to personally become the central banker to the world.

Resources

Jeffrey Group: Brasil June 6th, 2025

IMF: IMF Staff Completes 2025 Article IV Visit to Brazil

OECD: OECD Economic Outlook, Volume 2025 Issue 1

Deloitte: Brazil economic outlook, March 2025

Al Jazeera: Trump’s hefty tariff on Brazil expected to push the country towards China

The Guardian - President Lula hits back as Trump tariffs threaten US-Brazil trade showdown

VoxDev: Understanding Brazil’s falling income inequality

PBS: Argentina secures IMF loan and ends most capital controls in key milestones for President Milei

MeidasTouch: Trump’s PANICKED MOVE delivers DEATHBLOW

Atlantic Council: The stablecoin race

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This is the story of a political pundit who looked at the world around him and just said, fuck it.
0:07.7	Gives the middle finger to authority and says, kiss my ass.
0:11.6	But instead of a revolution, he started a podcast.
0:15.4	Just what the world needs.
0:17.6	He started a podcast.
0:19.0	Another basic white guy who started a podcast. Another basic white guy.
0:21.3	Who started a podcast?
0:23.0	But it's fun because he curses.
0:25.2	All through the podcast.
0:26.8	I'm fucking the republic.
0:28.7	We're his motherfucking podcast.
0:30.3	I'm annoyed.
0:36.4	By this administration, obviously, but also by the sheer laziness exhibited day in and day
0:44.6	out by the corporate media. That's a blanket annoyance for sure, but at the moment, I'm fixated
0:50.3	on the complete lack of depth and nuance in the reporting around Trump's god-awful
0:55.3	tariff declarations. The recent tariff announcement on Brazil put me over the edge.
1:01.6	Hopefully by now you've had a chance to view our recent deep dive episode on Trump's
1:05.8	stablecoin scam released on the Midas Touch Network. And if not, please try and check it out.
1:10.7	If you're a reader, rather than a viewer, the essay is on the UNFTR website, and fair warning,
1:16.3	it's a fucking beast.
1:18.1	I went all in on this one, so I'm admittedly a bit obsessed right now, but it's one of those
1:23.0	stories that once you know it, you can't unknow it.
	...

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