Trump and Brazil’s President Lula in Dispute Over Bolsonaro’s Trial
Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who is a left-wing leader, said he might fight back after U.S. President Donald Trump made strong comments about Brazil.
Trump is angry that Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil’s former right-wing president and his ally, is on trial. Bolsonaro is accused of trying to stay in power after losing the 2022 election to Lula.
The U.S. embassy in Brazil released a statement calling Bolsonaro a victim of “political persecution.” This message was similar to Trump’s claims that he, too, was being unfairly targeted in the U.S. Trump called it a “witch hunt.”
In response, Brazil’s government called in the U.S. ambassador to explain the statement.
Later, Trump said he would put a 50% tax on Brazilian goods entering the U.S. starting August 1. He blamed Brazil for trying to damage free elections and warned that if Brazil fought back, the U.S. would do more.
Trump also wrote a letter to Lula. In it, he called Bolsonaro’s trial a “disgrace” and said it should not be happening. He also said the U.S. would investigate Brazil’s trade policies.
Until now, Brazil had not been among the countries Trump had warned about trade issues. But Brazil sends a lot of steel to the U.S. — four million tons in 2024, making it the second-biggest supplier after Canada.
This new 50% tariff is on top of other taxes the U.S. recently added on steel and aluminum.
Lula replied on social media, saying that Brazil will respond according to its laws if the U.S. increases taxes unfairly.
From January to June this year, trade between the U.S. and Brazil was worth $41.7 billion. Brazil exported $20 billion worth of goods to the U.S., and the U.S. sent $21.7 billion in goods to Brazil.
Trump Says: “Leave Bolsonaro Alone”
On Monday, Trump posted online, asking Brazilian leaders to stop targeting Bolsonaro. He said, “They’ve gone after him again and again, for years!”
Lula replied that no one is above the law, even Bolsonaro.
Bolsonaro says he didn’t try to take power in a coup. But prosecutors say he was part of a failed plan to stop Lula from becoming president, which only failed because the military didn’t support it.
In 2023, Bolsonaro supporters — known as “Bolsonaristas” — attacked government buildings and asked the army to remove Lula. Bolsonaro was not in the country at that time.
Many people have compared Bolsonaro’s situation to Trump’s. In 2021, Trump’s supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol, trying to stop Joe Biden from becoming president. Trump was charged, but later the case was dropped after he was re-elected.
On Wednesday, the U.S. embassy repeated Trump’s support for Bolsonaro, saying he and his family had always been good partners to the U.S. and calling the trial “shameful.”
Tension With BRICS Countries
This week, leaders from the BRICS group of countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) met in Brazil. They criticized Trump’s tariffs and his actions in the Middle East, including bombing Iran.
Trump didn’t like this and threatened to add another 10% tax on goods from all BRICS countries.
Lula responded by saying the BRICS group is made up of independent nations, and they don’t want anyone acting like an “emperor.”
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