By Adele Robichez and Larissa Bohrer on July 12, 2025 from São Paulo
Congressman speaks of blackmail and warns of US interest in exploiting strategic minerals abundant in Brazil
Federal Congressman Glauber Braga
Federal congressman Glauber Braga (Psol-RJ) described US President Donald Trump’s decision to impose a 50% tariff on Brazilian products as an “attempted coup” in an interview with Conexão BdF, on Rádio Brasil de Fato. The measure was announced to the government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) in a letter blaming Brazil for prosecuting former President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) in the Federal Supreme Court (STF), where he is charged with attempting a coup.
“This is an attempted coup d’état. From the moment the US president, through economic retaliation such as this, attempts to prevent coup plotters from being held accountable, what he is saying is: ‘Either I have a government or institutions in Brazil that are tied to my immediate interests, or the consequences could be unpredictable’. In this case, he is starting with economic consequences. We are tired of seeing the US use the arguments they used in the letter to justify possible military interventions,“ he said.
For the congressman, Trump’s action ”is unacceptable.“ In response to the offensive, Lula released a statement saying that Brazil,”will not accept being lectured by anyone“ and that the government will respond ”in accordance with Brazilian law on economic reciprocity.” In Braga’s assessment, “the president is right when he says he does not accept this kind of blackmail or threat, and that the coup plotters must be held accountable.”
The congressman argues that Brazil’s response should be firm and believes that imposing equivalent economic measures against the US is the best way forward. “We have to go after the United States, more specifically the US government and Mr. Donald Trump, telling them: we will not accept this kind of intimidation here,” he declared.
In the interview, Braga also criticized the motion of praise for Trump approved by the Chamber’s Foreign Relations Committee, dominated by Bolsonaro supporters, shortly before the announcement of the new tariffs. “It’s a disgrace. It is a crime against the country. It is conspiring against our country. This is unacceptable.“
US Interests
The congressman also warns of US interest in exploiting so-called rare earths, strategic minerals found in large quantities in Brazilian territory and essential to the technology industry. ”Donald Trump wants to get his hands on rare earths. He is blackmailing us, putting economic pressure on us so that Brazil will give something to the United States,”he pointed out. ”We cannot accept a new phase of exploitation,” he says.
As an alternative to agribusiness, which is affected by the new taxes, Braga argues that the government should prioritize food production for the domestic market, as family farming does. According to him, the situation requires a strategic and structural response. “May the Brazilian government be able to reshape its agricultural policy to return food production to feed the hungry in our country,”
The congressman reinforces the need for a strong response from Brazil. “If they are capable of doing what they did yesterday and we don’t react, these kinds of aggressive people will advance. So we have to be very careful,” he says. “We have to respond, because if we don’t respond now, they will move forward with measures that are even more serious. I don’t even rule out that they will attack us militarily,” he concluded.
Source: Brazil de Fato, translation Resumen Latinoamericano – English