Tyrant-o-Saurus Rex
Why settle for being the king of America when you can be king of the world? In his latest round of tariff whac-a-mole, Donald Trump has threatened to hit Brazil with a 50% tariff because he doesn’t like that way that country’s legal system is treating its former president. “I knew and dealt with former President Jair Bolsonaro, and respected him greatly, as did most other Leaders of Countries. The way that Brazil has treated former President Bolsonaro, a Highly Respected Leader throughout the World during his Term, including by the United States, is an international disgrace. This Trial should not be taking place. It is a Witch Hunt that should end IMMEDIATELY!” If you’re wondering what Trump sees in the former president of Brazil, consider that Bolsanaro is facing charges of a coup attempt that included a storming of the Brazilian capital. This isn’t the first time Trump has inserted himself into the legal proceedings of another country. Just last month, he called on Israel to drop its “witch hunt” corruption charges against Bibi. Such a call is of course wildly inappropriate. But we’ve crossed an entirely different line when an American president deploys his pretty much non-existent tariff powers against a country with which we have a trade surplus because he finds he has so much in common with one of its criminal defendants. To the extent that any of them stick, these tariffs are ultimately a tax on the American people. The way they’re being bandied about is taxing American democracy.
+ Bloomberg (Gift Article): “Trump has previously used tariff threats to accomplish other geopolitical goals. In January, he announced sweeping tariffs on Colombia before abruptly pulling the threat after reaching a deal on the return of deported migrants. He’s also put 20% tariffs on China for its alleged failure to stop the flow of fentanyl to the US, and threatened BRICS nations with higher duties for undermining the dollar. Still, it’s unprecedented for the US to add a tariff onto a foreign country to stop a judicial proceeding.” Trump’s 50% Levy on Brazil Shows World Nothing Is Off Limits.
