BRASILIA: President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva took a swipe at Donald Trump on Saturday, inviting the former US leader to “see the real Brazil” as the country grapples with Washington’s steep 50% tariffs.
Speaking in a video while planting grapes — one of the products hit by the new duties — Lula said:
“I hope you’ll visit one day so we can talk, and you can discover the true Brazil — the Brazil of samba, carnival, football, the United States, China, Russia, Uruguay, and Venezuela. We love everyone.”
The tariffs imposed on Brazil rank among the harshest levied against a US trading partner. Unlike measures directed at other countries, Washington’s action has been explicitly political, with Trump claiming Brasilia is carrying out a “witch hunt” against his ally, ex-president Jair Bolsonaro.
Bolsonaro faces trial for allegedly attempting a coup against Lula in 2022. The US has also sanctioned the judge presiding over the case, along with seven other Supreme Court justices.
Lula, meanwhile, has defended the court and pledged to safeguard “the sovereignty of the Brazilian people.” His government has vowed to fight the tariffs and is prepared to file an appeal if necessary.
The duties strike at some of Brazil’s key exports, undermining long-standing trade relations with the US. Despite generating a US$284 million surplus in 2024, Brazil now faces a major disruption to its economic ties with Washington.
On X, Lula framed his grape planting as symbolic: “We plant food, not violence or hate,” he wrote.
