Trump’s tariff: US pressure against Brazil, Mexico, Colombia and Canada has in common the dispute by influence

Among the targets of Trump’s trade war, there is a group that has threatened sovereignty since US President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January, leaders of some of the main western democracies have reinforced an essential idea: their countries are sovereign. With the beginning of the “tariff” policy, a specific group of countries – highlighted by The New York Times – became a direct target of the Republican. Everyone has something in common: sovereignty was questioned by the actions of the US government. Trump has used tariffs, commercial investigations and even threats of strength to pressure countries such as Mexico, Panama and Brazil to accept their political and economic demands. In the case of Brazil, the scenario was even more delicate. In addition to the difficulty in maintaining a direct dialogue, the country faced a requirement considered impossible to meet. See below. Canada and Panama Mark Carney gives a speech when he was presented during the announcement of the liberal leadership in Ottawa, Ontario, Sunday, March 9, 2025. Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press since the beginning of his term in January, Donald Trump has suggested the attachment of Canada as the 51st US state. These statements aroused a strong nationalist sentiment, especially during the April elections, which resulted in the significant victory of current Prime Minister Mark Carney. A member of the Liberal Party, Carney promised to protect Canada from “threats to our sovereignty” from the US and, since assuming, insists on the importance of maintaining the country’s independence from American influence. Despite publicly rejecting Trump’s proposal, Canada continues to negotiate with the White House to avoid climbing on trade tariffs. Panama, on the other hand, was one of the first targets of Trump’s “institutionalized bullying” policy, especially with regard to the control of the Panama Canal. The US president criticized the fees charged, noting that the US managed the channel until 1999. The Panama government refused to grant a “free pass” to the US, with President José Raúl Mulino stating that “the sovereignty and independence of our country is not negotiable.” However, under increasing pressure, the country allowed US troops to send to local bases and granted special facilities in channel use, including free and priority access to the waterway. For analyst Oliver Stuenkel, professor of international relations at FGV-SP, the case of these two countries is even more serious as it involves the threat of territorial annexation. “It’s much more serious than anything you can do, an entire or partial threat of annexation from your territory. It is not only a military threat, but of an existential threat,” he said. Mexico Claudia Sheinbaum, president of Mexico, announces agreement with Donald Trump to pause rates for a month Reuters/Raquel Cunha Another neighbor who became the target of Trump’s threats was Mexico. The US president harshly criticized the way the country treats immigration, fighting drugs and commercial issues. In response, President Claudia Sheinbaum adopted a firm stance, reaffirming her authority and national sovereignty, but seeking to maintain dialogue with the US government. According to the New York Times, Sheinbaum emphasized in at least 30 interviews since the beginning of the year that Mexico is a sovereign nation. In June, he firmly stated that “Mexico is not subordinate to anyone.” Despite the firm speech, the president met some demands from Trump, such as the increase of the military’s military staff and the extradition of drug cartel leaders to the US. Colombia Colombian President Gustavo Petro, during a speech at an event on May 9, 2023 Luisa Gonzalez/Reuters Donald Trump threatened to apply up to 50% rates on Colombians after President Gustavo Petro refuses to accept flights with deported immigrants from the US. Retaliation was a direct response to the resistance of the Colombian government to collaborate with American migratory policy. At first, Petro reacted with bluntness. “I do not squeeze the hand of white slaves,” said the president in a speech that gained international repercussion. Despite the blunt rhetoric, the Colombian leader retreated shortly after, allowing the resumption of flights with deported – a sign of the effective pressure of the White House. Like Colombia, other countries that received similar threats ended up or less ended up giving in to the Trump government’s demands on economic and diplomatic risks. For the doctor of international relations from London School of Economics, Carolina Pavese, the strategy adopted by Trump since the start of tariff threats is to “climb and then flutter” both tensions and threats. “It was so with all countries, including those he closed some kind of agreement. Interestingly, even in the case of those who managed to avoid the announced tariff, negotiations have always resulted in a worse bilateral trade condition than the scenario (and tariffs) pretrump,” he said. Brazil interview from Lula for Reuters Adriano Machado/Reuters Brazil was the last to join the group and currently faces a complicated situation. In addition to the difficulty in dialogue with the White House, the country received an impossible requirement to comply, as it involves interference from the executive in the judiciary. The Brazilian government faced a new diplomatic crisis with the US after President Donald Trump’s decision to apply 50% tariffs on Brazilian products – the highest rate ever imposed by the US government to Brazil. The measure, unilaterally announced, entered into force on Wednesday and affects strategic sectors of Brazilian export. For the Brazilian government, the action violates principles of international trade and represents a direct threat to the country’s economic sovereignty. In response, Brazil has formally called the World Trade Organization (WTO), which can judge disputes between member countries. “The question of Jair Bolsonaro is a smoke curtain for much more strategic interests that bring real gain to Trump: braking the regulation of Big Techs, reducing the risk of market loss market loss, shaking the credibility of other powers via BRICS and now the issue of rare land has also appeared, ‘says Pavese. Rodrigues Vieira, emphasizes Trump’s attempt to recover influence in the western hemisphere, especially in Latin America. And the left, historically in Latin America, seems to me to be much more nationalist, at least anti-imperialist, even with doses of antiemercanism, than the right, which has always been much more favorable to an alignment with the US, ”he said. For the teacher, political pressure should continue to the 2026 elections and could increase if a candidate not aligned with Trump Vença. Similar must happen, ”he concluded.

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