When President Trump slapped a fifty percent tariff on Brazilian imports this month, he didn’t protect American workers. He didn’t strengthen American industries. He didn’t even pretend this was about fair trade.
He made it clear: Brazil must drop its trial of Jair Bolsonaro — or pay the price.
This is punishment, not policy. It’s blackmail dressed up as patriotism. And it has nothing to do with putting America first.
Tariffs as Threats, Not Tools
A tariff is a tax, plain and simple. Every extra dollar charged at the port ends up paid by American families at the store. So who gets squeezed when Trump jacks up tariffs to fifty percent? It’s not the Brazilian government. It’s American businesses who import goods and the American people who buy them.
In the name of defending a foreign politician, we are taxing ourselves. That’s not America First. That’s politics first.
Hayek Warned Us
Economists like Friedrich Hayek and Ludwig von Mises spent decades showing how unchecked government power leads to coercion and control. Once leaders learn they can bend markets to their will, they will use that power to reward friends and crush enemies.
That is exactly what this tariff does. It tells Brazil: prosecute someone I like, and your economy will suffer. Obey, and maybe you’ll get relief.
But the real target is bigger than Brazil. The target is anyone who dares step outside the lines drawn by political power.
This Is Not MAGA
Some say this is just tough leadership — real “MAGA” muscle on the world stage. But this is not the spirit that built America’s strength. It’s the opposite.
America’s wealth came from freedom — freedom to trade, freedom to speak, freedom to run a business without fear that Washington would smash it for personal revenge.
Economic punishment for political loyalty tests is not making America great again. It’s using the tools of big government to keep others in line. It’s what Hayek called the “road to serfdom” — a slow slide into state control that strangles prosperity.
Who Pays?
A prisoner tied to Bolsonaro’s trial recently said through his lawyer: “The sheriffs and prosecutors doing Trump’s bidding should remember they’re on the hook too. Pressure comes for everyone who won’t play the game.”
That’s how this works. When power is unchecked, everyone falls under the shadow — sheriffs, judges, businesses, farmers. It’s not about principle. It’s about who stays loyal.
America First Means America Free
Real America First means putting American families and workers ahead of petty political score-settling. It means free markets, open competition, and a government so limited it can’t bully you — or anyone else — into submission.
We should not be using our trade policy to twist foreign courts. We should not threaten whole nations because they won’t bend to a president’s personal agenda. We should not punish our own people with higher prices and fewer choices because a politician wants to protect a friend abroad.
This is not how a free nation behaves. This is how empires behave when they’ve forgotten what made them strong.
A Better Way
If we care about America’s strength, we should defend the freedom to trade. If we care about our future, we should reject the idea that one person’s grievances should shape the price of groceries and the cost of living.
Hayek was right: the more power we hand to government “for good reasons,” the more it will use that power for bad ones. We’re seeing it now.
So let’s be clear: punishing Brazil for a political trial isn’t tough. It isn’t smart. And it isn’t America First.
It’s just old-fashioned coercion with a new label — and it’s up to every American who still believes in free people and open markets to say: no more.
from Ron Paul Institute Featured Articles
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