Trump is a liar.
In yet another one of his shockingly offensive and untruthful statements, the American president called Brazil a “horrible commercial partner” and claimed that the United States has a trade deficit in bilateral commerce with the country. The statements provoked a harsh response from President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who classified the claims as “a lie.”
Official data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the American government’s own statistical department, completely contradict Trump.
The Reality of the Numbers
Brazil is the third country with which the United States has the largest trade surplus in the world, following only the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. This means the U.S. exports more goods and services to Brazil than it imports, resulting in a positive trade balance for the U.S
In the first half of 2025, the U.S. recorded a surplus of $3.6 billion with Brazil alone. Meanwhile, they’ve accumulated multi-billion dollar deficits with China ($121.4 billion), Mexico ($98.3 billion), and Germany ($39.7 billion).
It’s important to note that the Netherlands and the United Kingdom have much smaller populations than Brazil. If you consider the trade in digital services—like Netflix, Google, Uber, and ChatGPT—Brazil would likely jump to the top spot as the most profitable commercial partner for the United States.
The Brazilian population consumes these American services in much higher volumes than European countries.
Brazil is buying more and more from the U.S.
U.S. exports to Brazil have shown impressive growth. In July 2025, the United States sold $4.3 billion in products to Brazil, the highest value ever recorded for a single month. This is a significant increase from the $3.1 billion recorded in January 2023.
The data shows a consistent upward trend over the past two years. U.S. sales to Brazil have jumped from a monthly average of $3.2 billion to over $4 billion.
Brazil’s share of total U.S. exports is also growing, increasing from 2.21% in January 2024 to 2.48% in June 2025.
Meanwhile, Milei’s Argentina, favored by Trump with a 10% base tariff, has seen its share decrease in recent months.
Where are the Brazilian Business Leaders to Publicly Debunk Trump? Brazilian business leaders are buying American products in record volumes. They should be coming forward to publicly expose the U.S. president’s lies.
Brazilian Tariffs Are Extremely Low
Minister of Industry and Vice President Geraldo Alckmin has revealed data that dismantles another one of Trump’s lies. During a presentation for the “Brazil Soberano” (Sovereign Brazil) program, Alckmin reported that out of the top 10 products the United States exports to Brazil, eight have a zero-dollar tariff.
The average tariff on all American products in Brazil is just 2%. Trump claims the country charges Americans “tremendous tariffs” and wants to impose a 50% tariff on Brazil in retaliation. The numbers show that this accusation is completely false.
Trump has already retreated by 60% without Lula making any concessions.
Lula hasn’t given in on anything, yet Trump has already waived tariffs on the majority (62%) of Brazilian products. This shows how important the Brazilian market is to the United States and completely contradicts the “horrible partner” narrative.
If Brazil were truly a bad trading partner, why would Americans voluntarily exempt more than half of Brazilian products from tariffs?
Americans Pay the Tariffs
Americans, not Brazil, are the ones who pay the tariffs. The mechanism is simple: the American importer pays the tariff to the U.S. government and passes that cost on to the final consumer.
Brazil is harmed because its products become more expensive for the American consumer, which reduces demand. But the money for the tariff is always paid by the American side.
Trump is trying to manipulate public opinion by suggesting that American importers and Brazilian exporters will “absorb” the increase in tariffs, keeping prices stable for consumers.
In today’s global market, with tight profit margins due to intense competition, no one has the financial wiggle room to absorb 50% tariffs. The impact will be directly on the final price.
The Brazilian products that still have tariffs are mainly ground beef for hamburgers and coffee. Both are basic staples in American households, deeply rooted in the country’s culture.
Deficits Are Normal in International Trade
Even if Brazil had a trade deficit with the United States—which it doesn’t—that would be perfectly normal in international trade relations.
Trump confuses a trade deficit with some kind of commercial trick or problem. Countries have a surplus with some and a deficit with others. That’s how global trade works. There’s nothing wrong with it.
If it were the other way around, Brazil could accuse the United States of being a “horrible partner” because of the deficit. But Brazil doesn’t do that because it understands that deficits and surpluses are a natural part of international trade.
Trump’s attempt to turn normal trade relations into a national security issue or a trick reveals his complete ignorance about how global trade functions.
Trump Will Be Forced to Back Down
Trump will be forced to back down when American consumers feel the price increase in their wallets.
Brazilian ground beef supplies American fast-food chains. Brazilian coffee is on the tables of millions of Americans every morning.
Trump is lying, and his lies will become increasingly obvious in the coming days and weeks.
