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The rift between President Donald Trump and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva continues to deepen following new US tariffs and sanctions targeting a top Brazilian official.
Some shit you should know before you read: Just in case you missed it, earlier this week the United States imposed new tariffs on Brazilian imports and sanctioned a top Brazilian Supreme Court justice. The 50% tariffs, announced by President Donald Trump, were framed as a response to Brazil’s ongoing prosecution of former President Jair Bolsonaro, whom Trump is friends with and has repeatedly condemned as a politically motivated “witch hunt.” In parallel, the US Treasury sanctioned Justice Alexandre de Moraes under the Global Magnitsky Act, accusing him of human rights violations including censorship, politically driven prosecutions, and suppression of dissent.
What’s going on now: President Lula condemned the United States’ decision to impose sanctions on Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes and enact steep tariffs on Brazilian exports, calling the moves an unacceptable breach of national sovereignty. “The Brazilian government stands in solidarity with [de Moraes], who is the target of sanctions motivated by the actions of Brazilian politicians who betray our country and our people in defence of their own interests,” Lula said in a statement, implicitly referencing Bolsonaro without naming him. He accused the US of using “political arguments to validate the trade measures” and warned that such interference “undermines national sovereignty and the historical relationship between the two countries.”
The backlash extended beyond government offices into the streets of Brazil, where protests broke out in major cities like São Paulo and Brasília. Demonstrators also burned images of both Trump and Bolsonaro.
Despite the mounting tension, Trump doubled down on his position, defending the sanctions and tariffs as necessary responses to what he described as persecution of a political ally. Trump also claimed Brazil’s judiciary was carrying out “insidious attacks on Free Elections” and suppressing conservative voices.
This all comes as President Lula signaled openness to a diplomatic meeting with President Trump in an effort to ease tensions. According to CNN Brasil, Lula is considering a face-to-face talk with Trump on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in September. In response, Trump told reporters at the White House, “He can talk to me anytime he wants,” referring to Lula, and added that while he respects the Brazilian people, “the people running Brazil did the wrong thing.”
