Brazil's leader is pushing back hard against President Trump's tariff threats, vowing his country won't be bullied or negotiate "as if it were a small country up against a big country." In his first New York Times interview in 13 years, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva says Trump's threat to levy 50% tariffs on Brazilian goods, while ignoring Brazil's offers to talk, is both politically motivated and an affront to his country's sovereignty. "Be sure that we are treating this with the utmost seriousness. But seriousness does not require subservience," he says, describing Trump's approach as disrespectful and at odds with diplomatic norms.
Trump's proposed tariffs come amid the criminal prosecution of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who's accused of trying to overturn the 2022 election results. Trump, calling the case against Bolsonaro a "witch hunt," wants it dropped—a demand Lula flatly rejects. "Maybe he doesn't know that here in Brazil, the judiciary is independent," he tells the Times. Lula says Trump appears to be acting out of political solidarity with Bolsonaro, with whom he shares a similar political trajectory—including efforts to contest election losses and the resulting riots at both countries' capitals. He notes Trump would've been prosecuted for the 2021 Capitol riot had it occurred in Brazil.
The dispute has already begun to impact diplomatic relations, with the US revoking the visas of Brazilian Supreme Court justices over alleged censorship and political bias. Bolsonaro's allies, including his son, are also lobbying Washington for sanctions against Brazilian officials. Lula argues that such steps undermine respect for Brazil's institutions, warning that escalating tensions could turn long-standing economic cooperation into a "lose-lose" political standoff, with Americans paying higher prices for coffee, beef, OJ, and other products. He adds Brazil will consider retaliatory tariffs if Trump follows through on his threat.
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