Luiz inácio Lula da Silva, Brazil’s president has hit back at US president Donald Trump’s threat to impose steep tariffs on Brazilian goods, saying his country “will not take instructions” from Washington and warning against what he called a return to imperial-style diplomacy.
Speaking in an interview with CNN on Thursday, Lula said he was “surprised” by both the content and delivery of Trump’s remarks, in which the US president threatened 50 percent tariffs and criticised the ongoing trial of former Brazilian leader Jair Bolsonaro.
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“For me, it was a surprise, not only the value of that tariff, but also how it was announced, the way it was announced,” Lula said. “We cannot have president Trump forgetting that he was elected to govern the US, not to be the emperor of the world.”
Trial of Bolsonaro fuels tension
Bolsonaro, a close political ally of Trump, is currently on trial in Brazil for his alleged involvement in efforts to overturn the 2022 election, which he lost to Lula. Trump has publicly criticised the proceedings and called for the charges to be dropped, a move Lula firmly rejected.
“The judiciary branch of power in Brazil is independent. The president of the republic has no influence whatsoever,” Lula stated. “Bolsonaro is not being judged personally, but by the acts he tried to organise—a coup d’état.”
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Trump’s demand for leniency in Bolsonaro’s legal battle has added fuel to already strained relations, with Brazilian officials describing the comments as an intrusion into the country’s democratic processes.
Economic nationalism meets sovereign resistance
Trump’s threats of 50 percent tariffs come as part of a wider shift in Washington’s trade policy under his administration. Brazil, a top agricultural and industrial exporter, could face major economic consequences if the US follows through.
But Lula insisted Brazil would not back down under pressure: “Brazil is to take care of Brazil and take care of the Brazilian people, not to take care of the interests of the others,” he said. “We accept negotiation and not imposition.”
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The US has also warned Brazil of further penalties due to its growing leadership role within BRICS, the bloc of emerging economies including Russia, India, China, and South Africa. Trump has labelled the group’s ambitions as “anti-Western” and accused it of undermining the global financial order.
Lula, however, defended Brazil’s participation in the bloc, saying it reflects the country’s sovereign right to seek global partnerships that serve its development.
Echoes of the past
In Latin America, Trump’s recent statements have reignited concerns over the US’s history of intervention in the region. Critics argue that Washington’s economic threats and calls to influence internal legal matters bear hallmarks of Cold War-era pressure tactics.
Despite the tensions, Lula said he does not yet see a full-blown crisis in US–Brazil relations, but warned that diplomacy must be grounded in mutual respect.
“There is no logic in this tariff,” he said. “But Brazil will not accept anything imposed on it.”
With one eye on the region’s history and another on the future of a multipolar world, Lula’s message to Trump was clear: Brazil will decide its path—on its own terms.
