Lula says Brazil cannot ‘accept treatment’ after new US tariffs proposed

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has decried newly proposed United States tariffs, saying he could “not accept the treatment” his country had received. The rebuke on Wednesday came a day after the administration of US President Donald Trump announced the 25 percent tariff on certain Brazilian imports, appearing to roll back an emerging detente between the two countries. Recommended Stories list of 3 items end of list Lula said he had left a May meeting at the White House with Trump optimistic that relations were improving. During the first year of Trump’s second term, which began on January 20, 2025, the two leaders had butted heads over issues of trade, human rights and politics. Lula, a longtime left-wing leader, quickly emerged as a key critic of the second Trump administration’s aggressive approach to Latin America, including his January 3 attack on Venezuela and the increasing US military presence in the Caribbean Sea. Trump, meanwhile, has attacked the Brazilian government for allegedly censoring right-wing voices. The US leader has close connections to former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and his family, prominent figures in Brazil’s far right. Last year, after federal prosecutors brought Bolsonaro to trial for attempting to subvert Brazil’s democracy, Trump responded by imposing several rounds of tariffs on Brazil, reaching 50 percent on many goods. …