The Brazilian leader vows an \u201canswer\u201d to the US president\u2019s tariff threat<\/p>\n\n\n\n
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has pushed back against US President Donald Trump\u2019s announcement of a sweeping 50% tariff on Brazilian imports, vowing an appropriate \u201canswer\u201d to defend the interests of the Brazilian people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In an interview with CNN on Thursday, Lula said he was surprised both by the content and the manner of Trump\u2019s threat, which was delivered via a letter posted on Truth Social last week. In it, Trump announced a blanket 50% tariff on all Brazilian goods starting August 1 and demanded an end to what he called a \u201cwitch hunt\u201d against the \u201chighly respected\u201d former president Jair Bolsonaro, who stands accused of attempting to orchestrate a coup following his 2022 election defeat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen I read the letter, I thought it was fake news,\u201d Lula said, describing the move as \u201cbreaking away from any protocol, any liturgy, that should exist between the relations between two heads of state.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe cannot have President Trump forgetting that he was elected to govern the US \u2013 he was not elected to be the emperor of the world,\u201d Lula stated. \u201cBrazil will not accept anything imposed on it. We accept negotiation, not imposition.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While expressing openness to dialogue, Lula said Brazil is \u201calso preparing ourselves to give an answer\u201d \u2013 despite Trump\u2019s warning that any retaliation could lead to even steeper tariffs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf President Trump is willing to take seriously the negotiations underway between Brazil and the US, then I\u2019ll be open-minded to negotiate whatever may be necessary,\u201d Lula added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lula previously rejected Trump\u2019s claim that Brazil is responsible for trade imbalances, pointing to US government data showing a $410 billion US surplus in goods and services trade with Brazil over the past 15 years. Earlier this week, the US launched an official investigation<\/a> to determine what was so \u201cunfair\u201d about Brazil\u2019s trade practices. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Trump has previoulsy threatened an additional 10% tariff on all BRICS nations<\/a>, accusing the bloc of trying to \u201cdestroy the dollar as the global standard.\u201d He further warned that Russia\u2019s trading partners could face a secondary 100% tariff<\/a> unless the war in Ukraine is resolved within 50 days. Even at 50%, Brazil would face the highest US import tariff announced so far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n