Donald Trump called it a “national emergency.” In truth, it was an international ego crisis. When Brazil’s courts prosecuted Jair Bolsonaro, the U.S. president retaliated by taxing the country as if punishing his own reflection. Now, in a rare moment of institutional sanity, the U.S. Senate has diagnosed the episode for what it is: patriotism dressed up as hysteria.
The 50% levy on Brazilian coffee and beef was a gift to no one. American consumers paid more for their espresso and steak, while nationalist rhetoric inflated faster than prices. Trump promised to protect American jobs — and succeeded only in annoying rural voters who discovered the cost of gourmet populism. “America First” became “Caffeine Last.”
The resolution still has to pass the House of Representatives, where Republicans pretend to show discipline and Trump rehearses his veto. But the show has lost its sparkle. When even five Republican senators side with Democrats, the problem is no longer ideological — it’s reputational. Even protectionism, when overcooked, starts to smell like reheated leftovers.
President Lula has barely begun to negotiate directly with Trump, yet the Senate’s move reveals a domestic front opening up. The tariffs are losing credibility, and markets are sensing a thaw. If the veto fails, the meat-and-coffee crowd can finally raise a glass — or a cortado and a well-done picanha — to celebrate free trade. After all, nothing says capitalism quite like caffeine and animal fat.
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