The most shameful chapter in our history.

In his Divine Comedy, Dante Alighieri places traitors in the last and deepest circle of hell, the one in the icy river Cocytus, where Lucifer himself, the most vile of traitors, resides. In the Sphere of Antenora, a short distance from Lucifer, traitors to their homeland are punished. Their souls are submerged up to their necks, with only their heads above the ice.

Well, all those who support Trump and encouraged his actions against Brazil will be there, immersed in the ice of Cocytus for all eternity, accompanied by the Prince of Darkness, that greatest traitor who betrayed God himself.

These traitors to Brazil, these vile and mafia-like people, as Estadão itself points out, deserve punishment and, above all, the constant and close company of Lucifer, who inspires them so much.

Indeed, there is no greater villainy than that of a traitor to the homeland, who aims to harm his own country, his people, and his democracy.

But, evidently, Trump, in this whole mess, has interests that go beyond simply defending Bolsonaro, a political dwarf whom he himself despises, despite the praise in the unbelievable letter to Lula.

There are, in fact, greater interests at stake. Geopolitical interests. 

Brazil's regional leadership, while rightly centered on the relative autonomy of Latin America, its refusal of automatic alignment with any extra-regional powers, and its aversion to the unwarranted adherence to the new "Cold War," is, from our point of view, the most significant obstacle to the effective implementation of the new and harsh Monroe Doctrine that Trump dreams of implementing in our region. As Pete Hegseth, Trump's Secretary of Defense, stated: "we need to reclaim our backyard."

And Lula, they know, is a formidable barrier to this crude and shameful imperialist ambition.

Lula's Brazil is, in Latin America, at the forefront of the alliance between the Global South and BRICS, and in the construction of an "anti-imperialist" global order, founded on multipolarity and the reconstruction of multilateralism. Whether the usual "mongrels" like it or not, Brazil is a strategic piece on the world chessboard of geopolitics.

We are "in the crosshairs," for sure, as was evident yesterday with this absurd 50% tax, the highest yet.

It is no coincidence that Trump's decision comes right after the BRICS meeting in Rio de Janeiro.

We emphasize that such a brutal and absurd measure has no technical justification whatsoever, since Brazil has systematically presented a trade deficit with the USA since 2009, both in trade in goods and in trade in services, which has resulted in an accumulated loss to Brazil of approximately US$ 88.8 billion, in trade in goods alone.

Furthermore, we emphasize that such a violent and unilateral measure directly contradicts the principles of the World Trade Organization (WTO), among which we highlight those of "non-discrimination," "predictability," and "fair competition."

If maintained, this measure could affect the interests of approximately 10 Brazilian companies that export to the US and the jobs of millions of Brazilians, mainly in sectors that produce airplanes, car parts, orange juice, meat, steel, and other strategic products. 

Trump knows where he's aiming.

For the interests of Trump and MAGA, the ideal, obviously, would be to replace Lula's government with a far-right and submissive government, albeit with some veneer of "civilization". 

The Trump administration is rapidly transforming into a strongly authoritarian system that is likely to undermine US democracy and will seek to undermine democracies worldwide, especially in its immediate and decisive spheres of influence.

Trump doesn't want allies; he wants vassals. He wants lackeys. People willing to betray and sell out Brazil. He knows who they are. He knows he can find them in the Cocytus River. They're there, with their heads sticking out of the ice, wearing MAGA hats. 

With Trump's support, they'll want to turn "the whole of Brazil into a brothel," as the late Cazuza would say. Imagine the shady deals that could ensue! 

Trump has declared war on Brazil, its people, and its democracy. And Lucifer's companions salivate, bark, and wag their foul-smelling tails.

It is perhaps the most shameful chapter in our history.