'He doesn’t want to talk': Lula says he won’t ‘humiliate’ himself with Trump talks after US slaps 50% tariff on Brazilian goods
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "'He doesn’t want to talk': Lula says he won’t ‘humiliate’ himself with Trump talks after US slaps 50% tariff on Brazilian goods")
Lula says he won’t ‘humiliate’ himself with Trump talks after US slaps 50% tariff on Brazilian goods
US tariffs on Brazilian goods doubled to 50%, one of the highest rates imposed by Trump. Lula said his government would not announce reciprocal tariffs, but cabinet‑level talks would continue.
Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has ruled out direct talks with US President Donald Trump for now, saying any conversation would turn into a “humiliation” unless Trump signals he is ready to negotiate. “The day my intuition says Trump is ready to talk, I won’t hesitate to call him. But today my intuition says he doesn’t want to talk. And I’m not going to humiliate myself,” Lula told Reuters from his residence in Brasília.
Tariffs rise but no retaliation yet
On Wednesday, US tariffs on Brazilian goods doubled to 50%, one of the highest rates imposed by Trump. Lula said his government would not announce reciprocal tariffs, but cabinet‑level talks would continue. Despite the blow to exports, he believes Brazil’s economy is strong enough to withstand the pressure, giving him more space to stand firm than other Western leaders.
Bolsonaro row deepens US‑Brazil tensions
Lula said relations with Washington were at their worst in 200 years after Trump linked the tariffs to his demand for an end to the prosecution of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro is on trial for allegedly plotting to overturn the 2022 election. “The Supreme Court does not care what Trump says and it should not,” Lula said, adding that Bolsonaro should face another trial for provoking Trump’s intervention, calling him a “traitor to the homeland.”
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‘Unacceptable’ US interference
Recalling US involvement in Brazil’s 1964 coup, Lula said: “We had already pardoned the US intervention… But this now is not a small intervention. It’s the president of the United States thinking he can dictate rules for a sovereign country like Brazil. It’s unacceptable.”
BRICS coordination and domestic measures
Lula revealed his ministers have struggled to secure talks with their US counterparts, so Brazil will focus on domestic steps to cushion the impact while maintaining “fiscal responsibility.” He plans to call BRICS leaders, starting with India and China, to explore a joint response to US tariffs. He also announced plans for a new national policy on strategic minerals, framing it as an issue of “national sovereignty” to move away from a history of low‑value mining exports.
