Lula Hits Back At Trump’s Tariff Threat: ‘We Don’t Want Emperors Anymore’

A tariff showdown, a political feud and sharp words on democracy. As Trump targets Brazil with 50% tariffs, Lula fires back – and the gloves are off.

Trump and Lula had a public spat earlier on US' 'reciprocal tariffs'

New Delhi: A high-voltage clash is playing out across continents, pitting Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva against U.S. President Donald Trump. The trigger is Trump’s decision to impose a 50% tariff on Brazilian imports from August 1 – a step that has jolted Brazil’s leadership and raised tensions between two of the Americas’ biggest economies.

Lula did not mince words. He called Trump’s action “an attack on Brazil’s sovereignty and judicial independence”. He said in a statement that the move was “discriminatory interference” and accused the U.S. president of “meddling in Brazil’s democratic institutions”.

As news of the tariff hit headlines, the Brazilian president fired back, announcing that his government would impose reciprocal tariffs on the United States. He declared publicly that Brazil would retaliate.

The timing of Trump’s tariff salvo is no coincidence. Last week, leaders from BRICS nations gathered in Rio de Janeiro. Since then, the U.S. president has ramped up criticism of the bloc, targeting not just Brazil but all BRICS members, including India, with an additional 10% tariff.

“Any country that embraces BRICS’ anti-America policy will have to pay,” Trump had said.

Lula did not hold back in his response. “He needs to understand the world has changed. We do not want emperors,” Lula said.

But the tariff is not the only fuel in this fire. Trump went a step further, accusing the Brazilian government of carrying out a “witch hunt” against former President Jair Bolsonaro- who is presently facing trial for allegedly plotting to overturn the 2022 election results.

Lula was not having it. “Democracy in Brazil is a matter for the Brazilian people. We are a sovereign country. We do not accept surveillance by anyone. We have strong and independent institutions. No one is above the law, especially those who attack freedom and the rule of law,” he wrote on X.

Trump had doubled down on Bolsonaro’s behalf. In a letter posted on Truth Social, he said Bolsonaro’s treatment was “an international disgrace”.

The Trump-Bolsonaro bond is well known. They shared power at the same time, even meeting at the White House in 2019. Now residing in the United States, Bolsonaro continues to reject all charges against him. His trial is underway for allegedly inciting a violent uprising in January 2023, when thousands of supporters stormed Brazil’s government buildings.

Lula has stood firm, reiterating that all proceedings against Bolsonaro fall under the jurisdiction of Brazil’s judiciary.

Trump’s attacks have not stopped at politics. He accused Brazil of “attacking American tech companies”.

Lula dismissed the claim, saying, “Freedom of expression in Brazil does not mean violence or abuse. All companies, domestic or foreign, must follow our laws if they wish to operate here.”

Trump also claimed the United States was losing in trade with Brazil. Lula countered with facts.

“American statistics themselves show that over the past 15 years, the United States made a profit of $410 billion from trade in goods and services with Brazil,” Lula posted on X.

He said if the United States imposes any unilateral tax hikes, Brazil will respond in kind.

This is not their first economic showdown. Earlier this year, Trump slapped a 25% tariff on Brazilian steel and aluminium. Lula immediately promised to take the matter to the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Speaking from Tokyo during that time, he had said, “We will take two actions – appeal to the WTO, which we will do, and impose high tariffs on U.S. goods. We cannot remain silent.”

Despite the escalation, Lula’s minister Alexandre Padilha maintained that Brazil “does not encourage trade wars” and does not want to be part of one.

But Trump’s repeated barbs have not helped. Lula has criticised what he sees as Trump’s pattern of threatening sovereign nations over trade and internal policies.

The Brazilian president has been working to carve out a strong, independent voice for his country within BRICS and other Latin American alliances. His strategy is widely seen as a counter to Trump’s unilateralism.

Trump’s latest 50% tariff is a dramatic jump from the 10% hike he announced in April. That announcement had already rattled Brazil’s stock markets and caused a slump in major companies’ shares.

Lula called Trump’s move “baseless” and reaffirmed Brazil’s plan to respond with its own tariffs. Before the BRICS summit, Lula had already warned, “There are no winners in a trade war.”

Once geographically distant, the two leaders are now locked in a fierce war of words – one that is already spilling over into markets, diplomacy and global headlines.