On Wednesday afternoon, President Trump posted eight new tariff letters to his social media, stating that imports from the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Algeria, Iraq, Libya, Brunei, and Moldova would be subject to elevated tariff rates. The letters state that the new rates will take effect on August 1, 2025—the same date specified in the 14 letters sent on Monday to other trading partners including Japan and South Korea.
As was the case with the 14 letters earlier this week, some countries saw increases or decreases to the initial “reciprocal” tariff rates announced in April. Moldova, Iraq, Libra, and Sri Lanka saw decreases ranging from 1-14%, while the Philippines and Brunei saw modest increases. The White House did not provide a rationale for the adjustment in rates.
While the tariff letters have so far followed largely identical templates, the letter to Brazil, posted late Wednesday afternoon, was unique. In the letter, addressed to Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, President Trump sharply criticized the country’s treatment of former President Jair Bolsonaro, describing it as a “Witch Hunt.” Bolsonaro is currently on trial for allegedly masterminding an attempt to overthrow the government after his loss in the 2022 Brazilian elections.
Trump also accused Brazil of “insidious attacks on Free Elections,” claiming that the Brazilian Supreme Court has issued hundreds of “SECRET and UNLAWFUL” censorship orders to U.S. social media companies, and ordered the office of the U.S. Trade Representative to open an unfair trade practices investigation against the country under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974.
The letter states that Brazilian goods will be subject to a 50% tariff. While it—like others sent over the last two days—complains that the countries’ trading relationship has been “far from Reciprocal,” Brazil was not included in the initial list of countries subject to “reciprocal” tariffs in April.
The full list of countries to have received letters, along with announced tariff rates, is below (updates in bold):
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