WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said that Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva can call him anytime to discuss tariffs and other friction between the countries.
“He can talk to me anytime he wants,” Trump said of Lula, speaking to reporters at the White House. He added he was fond of the Brazilian people but “the people running Brazil did the wrong thing.”
Later, speaking with reporters in Brasilia, Brazil Finance Minister Fernando Haddad called Trump’s remarks “great,” saying he is sure Lula feels the same, and would be willing to receive a call from the US president.
In a post on his X account, Lula said Brazil has always been open to dialogue, although he did not mention Trump nor his earlier remarks.
Trump slapped a 50% tariff on Brazil, with many exemptions, starting next week to fight what he has called a “witch hunt” against former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is on trial on charges of plotting a coup following his election loss in 2022.
The US also announced sanctions on a Brazilian Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing Bolsonaro’s trial. Lula has rejected both the sanctions and the tariffs, calling them “unjustifiable” and an “unacceptable” interference in Brazil’s justice system.
Haddad said his planned virtual meeting with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent next week will pave the way for an eventual meeting between Lula and Trump, but noted such a move would require preparation.
Earlier this week, Haddad said Brazil needed assurance Lula would not face the same treatment as Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who came under fire from Trump and Vice President JD Vance during a heated exchange at the White House earlier this year.
