2025-08-30
51 分钟Just who precisely brought in the first seeds is lost to history.
But coffee was first grown in Brazil in the 1700s.
Today, it's the world's largest coffee producer, and it has been for 150 years.
Brazilians drink it with abandon and plenty of sugar.
They also sell it.
It's the world's largest coffee exporter, too.
Brazilian coffee is about to get a lot more expensive, at least in the US,
because Donald Trump has imposed a 50% tariff on Brazilian goods.
And the levy has nothing to do with coffee and everything to do with a criminal trial.
I'm John Priddo, and this is Checks and Balance from The Economist.
Each week, we take one big theme shaping American politics and explore it in depth.
Today, the US-Brazil relationship.
It bloomed during Trump's first term when Brazil was led by Jair Bolsonaro,
a stylistic and ideological ally of Trump.
They've got more in common than that, though.
Bolsonaro supporters stormed Congress after he lost his re-election bid.
Sound familiar?
Well, the investigation and trial into that coup attempt irritates Trump to no end.
Is he willing to sacrifice relations with the second biggest democracy in the Americas to stick by his man?
With me this week to talk about Brazil and the United States,