Brazil’s Lula Invites Trump to “See the Real Brazil” Amid Tariff Spat
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva extended an invitation to Donald Trump on Saturday, urging the former U.S. president to visit Brazil and experience the country beyond politics—as relations strain over sweeping new tariffs from Washington.
Speaking in a video while planting grapes—one of the products hit by the 50% tariff—Lula took a light jab at Trump, saying:
“I hope you can visit someday so we can talk, and you can get to know the real Brazil: the Brazil of samba, carnival, soccer… a Brazil that loves the United States, China, Russia, Uruguay, Venezuela—we love everyone.”
The tariffs, some of the most severe the U.S. has imposed on a trading partner, come with a political edge. Unlike similar measures on other nations, the penalties against Brazil have been justified by Trump on the basis that Lula’s government is leading a “witch hunt” against his ally, former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro.
Bolsonaro Faces Trial Over Alleged Coup Plot, as U.S. Sanctions Brazilian Justices
Former President Jair Bolsonaro is currently on trial for his alleged involvement in a failed attempt to overturn the 2022 election results and prevent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva from taking office. In a controversial move, the United States recently imposed sanctions on the presiding judge and seven other justices of Brazil’s Supreme Court involved in the case.
President Lula has stood firmly behind the judiciary, vowing to uphold the rule of law and defend “the sovereignty of the Brazilian people.
His administration has also pledged to challenge Trump’s tariffs, potentially by filing an appeal if required.
The new tariffs, targeting several major exports from Latin America’s largest economy, disrupt longstanding trade relationships and threaten a trade surplus that Brazil valued at $284 million last year.
In a post on X, President Lula responded by emphasizing peace and cooperation: “We should be planting food—not violence or hate.”
He added a message directed at former U.S. President Donald Trump: “I hope we can speak one day, President Trump, so you can truly understand the character and quality of the Brazilian people.”
