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President Donald Trump said he had a “very good” call with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Monday.
“We will have further discussions and meetings in the not-too-distant future, both in Brazil and in the United States,” Trump wrote on Social Truth. “I enjoyed the call – our countries will work very well together!”
The exchange marked a thaw in one of the more contentious diplomatic relationships in the Western Hemisphere. Since returning to office, Trump has frequently clashed with Lula's left-wing government over trade, energy policy and the treatment of Bolsonaro – a close Trump ally who modeled much of his political brand on the former US president.
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President Donald Trump said he had a “very good” call with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Monday. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call, Inc)
Earlier this year, Trump imposed a 40% tariff on Brazilian exports in the US, hitting key sectors of South American agriculture, including petroleum, soybeans, sugar, coffee and iron and steel products. Brazil is also the United States' third-largest foreign meat supplier behind Australia and Canada – a trade flow that could be severely restricted if the tariffs remain in place.
The measures, coupled with targeted sanctions against several Brazilian government officials, were framed by the White House as a response to what Trump aides described as a “legal persecution” of Bolsonaro. Brazil's former president was convicted last month and sentenced to 27 years in prison for his role in a failed uprising against Lula's government – a verdict that has polarized Brazil and drawn condemnation from right-wing populist movements around the world.
Since returning to office, Trump has frequently clashed with Lula's left-wing government over trade, energy policy and the treatment of Bolsonaro – a close Trump ally who modeled much of his political brand on the former US president. (Eraldo Peres/AP)
Trump and his advisers have openly characterized Bolsonaro's prosecution as what they describe as politically motivated charges following the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. In a June letter to the Brazilian government announcing the new tariffs, Trump wrote: “The way Brazil has treated … Bolsonaro, a respected leader around the world during his time in office, including by the United States, is an international disgrace.”
“This trial should not be happening,” Trump added. “It's a witch hunt that should end immediately.”
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Tariffs coupled with targeted sanctions against several Brazilian government officials were framed by the White House as a response to what Trump aides described as a “legal prosecution” of Bolsonaro. (Luis nova/ap)
The letter also confirmed that Trump had directed U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer to initiate an investigation under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 into what the administration described as “unfair and discriminatory practices” by the Brazilian government. Such probes have historically been a prelude to escalating tariffs or broader economic sanctions.
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Trump and Lula briefly crossed paths at the United Nations General Assembly in New York last month, where the two leaders shared an unexpectedly warm handshake and a few words. “For at least 39 seconds, we had excellent chemistry,” Trump joked afterwards, suggesting a possible opening for renewed dialogue between the hemisphere's two largest democracies.