United States President Donald Trump once again retreated from his tariff war, on Friday (11/14), and signed an executive order reducing the tariffs he imposed on agricultural products.
The decision, announced by the White House, directly includes products exported from Brazil, such as coffee and beef, and fruits, such as acai, which are still subject to a 50% tax by the United States.
According to the North American government, the measure is retroactive and took effect at 00:01 on Thursday (11/13).
In the executive order, Trump justifies the decision by saying that he received “additional information and recommendations from various authorities.”
“After considering the information and recommendations provided to me by these authorities, progress in negotiations with various trading partners, current domestic demand for certain products, and current domestic production capacity for certain products, among other factors, I have determined that it is necessary and appropriate to further adjust the scope of products subject to the reciprocal tariff imposed under Executive Order 14257,” the document said.
Since the beginning of Trump’s tariffs, there have already been several setbacks. One of them occurred on July 30, the day before US tax rates went into effect. At that time, the Republican signed an order exempting about 700 Brazilian products from the tax.
Negotiating with Brazil
It is not yet clear whether the tariff reduction is a direct result of negotiations between Washington and Brasilia. But this action comes one day after a meeting between Brazilian Chancellor Mauro Vieira and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington.
The two diplomats met in the United States on Thursday to discuss decisions related to customs duties. After the meeting, Vieira stated that a “general proposal” for dealing with prices had been delivered to the North American representative.
The bilateral meeting between the heads of diplomacy of Brazil and the United States of America was held after two meetings between President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Donald Trump. At the last meeting held in Malaysia at the end of October, the leaders opened the doors to trade negotiations between the two countries.
Furthermore, the decline in agricultural products coincides with an investigation against US meatpacking plants, a direct order from Trump due to high meat prices in the country.
About The Author
