Brazilian businesses eye tariff relief after Trump–Lula meeting

Brazilian business leaders remain cautiously optimistic about the practical outcomes of the meeting between President Lula (PT) and Donald Trump, held last Sunday (26) in Malaysia. Their main focus is on possible changes to the United States’ tariffs on a range of Brazilian products. The assessment comes from Victor Irajá in Bastidores CNN.

Among the measures reportedly under discussion is a review of the current 50% surcharge or the inclusion of new Brazilian products in the list of tariff exemptions, which already includes around 700 items. “This is a positive, but still cautious expectation among business leaders,” Irajá said.

Before this historic meeting, Brazil struggled even to secure contact with second-tier representatives of the U.S. government. The shift in tone was driven by joint lobbying efforts from both Brazilian and American business sectors.

Domestic pressure in the U.S.

President Donald Trump is facing growing pressure at home due to a sharp rise in consumer prices. Coffee prices were up 21% in August compared to the same period last year, while meat prices rose between 13% and 18.4%.

Below is a history of Brazilian beef exports to the United States. The chart was prepared using DataLiner data:

Brazilian Beef Exports to the United States | Jan 2022 to Aug 2025 | TEU

Source: DataLiner (Click here to request a demo)

The U.S. manufacturing sector is also concerned about the effects of the tariffs. José Velloso, CEO of Abimaq (the Brazilian Machinery and Equipment Industry Association), notes that several Brazilian industrial products are essential to U.S. supply chains — not only in agribusiness but also across manufacturing.

Photo: Agência Brasil

Source: CNN

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