Brazil celebrates TACO Thursday

The White House moved to defuse a months-long trade clash with Brazil, carving out broad exemptions from a punitive tariff package and opening a path to broader détente between the two countries.

In an executive order signed late on Thursday, US President Donald Trump removed a 40% surcharge from a slate of agricultural imports from Brazil that had been swept up in the trade war he began waging against Brazil in July. 

The order cited “initial progress in negotiations with the government of Brazil” and made clear that the decision followed direct diplomacy: “On October 6, 2025, I participated in a call with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, during which we agreed to begin negotiations.”