JBS

JBS is a meatpacking company whose co-owner, Joesley Batista, was reported to have met Trump on August 20, 2026, and discussed Brazilian beef supply and import taxes. The report is attributed to the Wall Street Journal’s sources; Reuters said it could not immediately verify it.

Joesley and Wesley Batista are the ultimate controlling shareholders of JBS. JBS holds approximately 82% of Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation. The Trump–Vance Inaugural Committee reported receiving $5 million from Pilgrim’s Pride on January 2, 2025, with Donald Trump and J.D. Vance named as honorees. JBS USA also has a federally registered political action committee that reported $267,000 in contributions to other committees from January 1, 2025, through August 31, 2026.

JBS USA sells beef through retail and foodservice channels. JBS USA identifies retailers, foodservice distributors and restaurants as primary distribution channels; its company materials also describe wholesale and further-processor customers for imported meat products. Pilgrim’s Pride’s 2025 annual report states that its two largest U.S. customers together accounted for approximately 16.8% of consolidated net sales.

JBS sells beef and other protein products through retail and foodservice channels. Its 2025 filing describes customers such as supermarkets, club stores, restaurants, hotels, foodservice distributors and further processors. JBS sells products to more than 330,000 customers worldwide. Its U.S. Cattle Buyers page names company personnel in nine locations who buy cattle for the company’s operations.

Joesley and Wesley Batista are JBS’s ultimate controlling shareholders. JBS holds approximately 82% of Pilgrim’s Pride.

JBS’s corporate history says José Batista Sobrinho began the business in Anápolis, Goiás, in 1953 with a small slaughterhouse. The company later grew through acquisitions. A 2026 company filing describes the 2007 Swift & Company acquisition as approximately $1.5 billion overall, while Swift’s transaction announcement described $225 million in cash for shares held by two sellers and J&F’s assumption of approximately $1.2 billion in Swift debt, plus expenses.

The SEC’s October 2020 order found that Wesley and Joesley Batista and their companies paid approximately $150 million in bribes during 2009–2015. The payments helped obtain and maintain $2 billion in BNDES financing used in part for JBS’s 2009 acquisition of Pilgrim’s Pride. The order describes shell companies, accounts held for a Brazilian minister’s benefit, fake invoices, cash and payments routed as official election donations. Some funds passed through JBS accounts containing money transferred from Pilgrim’s Pride. These payments overlap with the conduct addressed in J&F’s criminal case.

The SEC found that Wesley and Joesley Batista concealed the bribery arrangements from Pilgrim’s Pride’s accountants and auditors, knowingly caused inaccurate books and records, and violated Exchange Act Section 13(b)(5) and Rules 13b2-1 and 13b2-2. J&F and JBS also caused Pilgrim’s accounting and internal-control violations. In the settled administrative proceeding, JBS agreed to approximately $26.9 million in disgorgement and interest, and each brother agreed to a $550,000 civil penalty. The resolution required compliance improvements and three years of reporting.

The story also acquired a relevant business-access lead after publication. Reuters reported on August 31, citing a Wall Street Journal account based on people familiar with a meeting, that JBS co-owner Joesley Batista met Trump in the Oval Office on August 20 and discussed whether additional Brazilian beef could help lower U.S. prices if an import tax were reduced. Trump announced the plan the following day. Reuters said it could not immediately verify the report.

Wesley and Joesley Batista jointly control JBS through J&F entities. Pilgrim’s Pride’s 2024 filing says the brothers joined its board on February 8, 2024, after Wesley Batista Filho resigned from the board. JBS announced on April 27, 2023, that Wesley Batista Filho would become chief executive of JBS USA effective May 1, following Tim Schellpeper’s retirement.

Reuters reported that Federal Police arrested him in São Paulo on September 13, 2017, amid an investigation into suspected use of nonpublic information in market transactions before the public disclosure of J&F executives’ cooperation agreement. His lawyer called the detention unjust and said the Batistas had cooperated with authorities. In October 2023, Brazil’s Securities and Exchange Commission reported that its board voted to absolve Wesley of specified administrative allegations involving JBS share transactions and, in a separate case, currency-related transactions involving JBS, Seara and Eldorado. Those administrative decisions are distinct from the 2017 criminal investigation.

In its October 31, 2023 decisions, Brazil’s securities regulator acquitted Wesley and Joesley Batista of specified administrative allegations involving market transactions. Some votes were divided. J&F received a 500,000-real fine for trading JBS shares during a restricted period. These were Brazilian securities proceedings; the U.S. bribery and accounting resolutions were issued separately in 2020.

JBS’s 2025 filing says it primarily sells protein products to retailers—including supermarkets, club stores and other retail distributors—and foodservice companies, including restaurants, hotels, distributors and further processors. JBS sells its products to more than 330,000 customers worldwide. JBS’s U.S. Cattle Buyers page lists company personnel by location who buy cattle for JBS.

JBS USA identifies retailers, foodservice distributors and restaurants as its primary distribution channels. Its materials also describe wholesale and further-processor customers for imported meat products.

JBS says it sells meat and prepared-food products to retail and foodservice customers. Those channels include supermarkets, restaurants, hotels, distributors and further processors. Its products can be sold under JBS brands or as store brands, so a grocery product’s label may not make the processor obvious.

The Federal Election Commission lists JBS USA Food Company PAC as a separate registered political action committee. For January 1, 2025, through August 31, 2026, its summary reports $225,429.40 in receipts and $271,903.10 in disbursements, with receipts categorized as individual contributions.

Federal Election Commission records report that JBS USA Food Company PAC contributed $267,000 to other committees during January 1, 2025–August 31, 2026, within $271,903.10 in total disbursements. Its 2023–2024 committee summary reports $206,709.34 in total disbursements and $300,562.39 in individual contributions received.

An itemized-data review lists JBS USA Food Company PAC contributions to federal candidates including Blake Moore, Gabe Evans and Morgan McGarvey ($10,000 each), and Zachary Nunn ($8,500). That review totals $192,500 in direct candidate contributions for its itemized snapshot, while the FEC’s official summary reports $267,000 in contributions to other committees through August 31, 2026.

On May 19, 2025, Senator Elizabeth Warren asked Pilgrim’s Pride and JBS USA executives who chose the inaugural donation, what its rationale was, whether company boards approved it, and whether company officials discussed it with Trump’s transition team. Warren raised concerns about possible influence.

The Trump–Vance Inaugural Committee’s Federal Election Commission filing lists a $5 million donation received from Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation on January 2, 2025. Donald Trump and J.D. Vance are the named honorees. Pilgrim’s Pride is controlled through JBS, whose ultimate controlling shareholders are Joesley and Wesley Batista.

On May 19, 2025, Senator Elizabeth Warren wrote to JBS USA and Pilgrim’s Pride executives about the donation, describing it as the largest contribution to the inaugural committee and asking whether the company expected favorable treatment. Her letter also noted that the Securities and Exchange Commission had approved JBS’s application to list shares on the New York Stock Exchange earlier that month.

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Sources and Records

AI generated report by Explorvia.com.