Tempered optimism with latest US tariff easing

The White House’s announcement late Friday that it would roll back import tariffs on roughly 200 products was greeted in Brasília as another step toward normalizing US-Brazil trade relations, which have been strained since Donald Trump launched a tariff war against Brazil. Still, excitement is tempered.

The change concerns Washington’s “reciprocal tariffs,” a 10% baseline levy Trump imposed in April 2025 on most countries. According to Brazil’s Agriculture Ministry, the new executive order removes that 10% layer for certain agricultural products but leaves intact a separate 40% surcharge applied specifically to Brazilian goods earlier this year.