Weekly Report - 04 June 2026 (WR-26-22)

Tensions between the Brazilian government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and the US government of President Donald Trump have heightened in recent days. On 28 May the US Department of State announced plans to designate Brazil’s most powerful criminal gangs as terrorist organisations, a decision welcomed by the far-right ‘Bolsonarismo’ movement but criticised by the Lula administration. And then on 1 June the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) announced that, due to Brazil’s allegedly unfair trade practices, the Trump administration is considering the application of more tariffs on Brazilian goods, which could revive the diplomatic spats of last summer, when Trump imposed steep tariffs on Brazil [WR-25-30].