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JBS co-owner lobbied Trump to lower beef import tariffs, WSJ reports

By Thomson Reuters Aug 31, 2026 | 7:54 PM

Aug 31 (Reuters) – Brazilian billionaire Joesley Batista, one of ​the owners of ‌meatpacker JBS, met U.S. President Donald Trump on August 20 ‌to ​discuss how ⁠additional beef supply from ⁠Brazil could help tame U.S. beef prices if Trump ​dropped a 26% import tax, the ⁠Wall ⁠Street Journal reported ​on Monday, citing people ​familiar with the matter.

A ‌day later, Trump said he will temporarily ease ⁠beef tariffs to help lower prices and said ground ⁠beef ‌imports would ⁠sell 25% below ​current ‌prices.

Reuters could not ​immediately ⁠verify the report.

(Reporting by Natalia Bueno Rebolledo in Mexico City; Editing by Christopher ​Cushing)