Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has hit back at Donald Trump’s tariff threats, saying that his American counterpart was elected as the leader of the United States and “not to be the emperor of the world.”
Last week, Trump threatened Brazil with crippling tariffs of 50% starting August 1, according to a letter posted to his social media platform, Truth Social.
In the letter, Trump linked the astronomical tariffs threat to what he described as a “witch hunt” trial against Brazil’s right-wing former president, Jair Bolsonaro.
Bolsonaro, a close Trump ally, is facing trial in Brazil for allegedly attempting to overthrow Lula following his presidential win in 2022. He could face more than four decades behind bars if found guilty of masterminding the coup.
Speaking exclusively to CNN’s Christiane Amanpour on Thursday, da Silva, who is widely known as Lula, said that Trump’s threats had broken away from “protocol” and argued that his predecessor’s fate cannot be part of trade negotiations.
“The judiciary branch of power in Brazil is independent. The president of the Republic has no influence whatsoever,” he said, adding that Bolsonaro “is not being judged personally. He is being judged by the acts he tried to organize a coup d’etat.”
Bolsonaro has denied all allegations of wrongdoing.
‘I thought it was fake news’
Speaking through an interpreter, Lula also expressed disappointment at Trump’s approach, saying at first that he couldn’t believe the US president’s social media post was authentic.
“It was very unpleasant,” he told Amanpour. “I thought it was fake news.”
Brazil has now vowed reciprocal tariffs if Trump follows through with his threat, marking the first time in months another country has called Trump’s bluff.
“Brazil is to take care of Brazil and take care of the Brazilian people, and to take not to take care of the interests of the others,” Lula said, adding: “Brazil will not accept anything imposed on it. We accept negotiation and not imposition.”
Unlike the more than 20 other countries that have received letters from Trump this month, the US ran a $6.8 billion trade surplus with Brazil last year.
That means that the US exported more goods to Brazil than it imported from there – an imbalance that should already satisfy Trump’s trade agenda.
Top US exports to Brazil in 2024 included aircraft and spacecraft, fuels, industrial machinery like nuclear reactors, and electrical equipment, according to US Census Bureau data.
A retaliatory 50% Brazilian tariff on American goods could severely harm these industries.
Still open to negotiation
Still, Lula underscored his willingness to come to an agreement with Washington on Thursday, saying that it is up to Trump to “seriously” consider negotiation and that he hopes the US president will change his mind.
“I’m not a progressive president. I am the president of Brazil. I don’t see President Trump as a far-right president. I see him as the president of the of the US – he was elected by the American people,” the former labor organizer told Amanpour, dismissing the possibility that their ideological backgrounds could embitter negotiations.
“The best thing in the world is for us to sit around a table and talk,” he added.
“If President Trump is willing to take seriously the negotiations underway between Brazil and the US, then I’ll be open minded to negotiate whatever may be necessary. But what is important is that the relationship between the two countries cannot go on like this,” he said.
Meanwhile on Thursday, the US launched an investigation into what it called “unfair” trading practices by Brazil, escalating the spat with the world’s 10th-largest economy.
The investigation will focus on digital trade and electronic payment services, preferential tariffs, and anti-corruption interference, as well as intellectual property protection, to determine whether there are “unreasonable or discriminatory and burden or restrict” American commerce, according to a statement by the United States Trade Representative (USTR).
It will also look into ethanol market access and illegal deforestation.
CNN’s Elisabeth Buchwald, Lily Farrant and Ana Bickford contributed reporting.
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