Afrasainet - Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has responded to threats by his US counterpart Donald Trump to impose tariffs, saying the latter was "elected leader of the United States and not to be the emperor of the world".
This comes after Trump last week threatened Brazil with imposing hefty tariffs of 50% from Aug. 1, in a move he linked to the trial of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, calling it a "witch hunt."
Bolsonaro, a close Trump ally, is on trial for trying to oust Lula da Silva after winning the 2022 election and faces more than forty years in prison if convicted of orchestrating a coup.
In CNN's Christian Amanpour interview broadcast Thursday, Lula da Silva called Trump's threats a departure from "protocol" and stressed that Bolsonaro's fate was not part of trade negotiations.
"The judiciary in Brazil is independent, and the president of the republic has no influence whatsoever," he said, noting that Bolsonaro "is not being personally prosecuted. He is being prosecuted for his actions through which he tried to organize a coup." Bolsonaro has denied all allegations of any wrongdoing.
Lola, speaking through an interpreter, expressed disappointment with Trump's stance, noting that he initially did not believe that the post posted on social media was "true," explaining: "It was very disturbing. I thought it was fake news."
In response to the threats, Brazil vowed to impose counter-tariffs if the U.S. decision is implemented, in a move that is one of the first direct international responses to Trump's threats.
"Brazil should take care of Brazil and the Brazilian people, not the interests of others," Lula said, adding: "Brazil will not accept anything imposed on it. We accept negotiation, not coercion."
It is noteworthy that the United States recorded a trade surplus of $ 6.8 billion with Brazil in 2024, which means that it exported more goods to it than it imported from it, which is supposed to be in line with Trump's trade orientation.
Data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that the most prominent U.S. exports to Brazil during the year included fuel and electrical equipment, and 50% Brazilian tariffs on these goods could hurt U.S. industries.
However, Lula confirmed his willingness to reach a deal with Washington on Thursday, saying it was up to Trump to consider negotiating "seriously" and that he hoped the US president would change his mind.
Despite the escalation, Lula expressed his openness to dialogue, saying it was up to Trump to decide whether he wanted to negotiate seriously or not.
"I'm not a progressive president. I am the President of Brazil. I don't see President Trump as a hard-right president, I see him as president of the United States — he was elected by the American people," he said, adding, "The best thing in the world is to sit down at the same table and talk."
"If President Trump is willing to take the ongoing negotiations between Brazil and the United States seriously, I will be open to negotiating anything that may be necessary. But the important thing is that the relationship between the two countries does not continue like this."
In a related context, the United States announced on Thursday the opening of a formal investigation into what it described as "unfair" trade practices by Brazil, in a new escalation of the crisis with the world's ninth largest economy.
The investigation will focus on issues related to digital commerce, electronic payment services, preferential tariffs, interference in anti-corruption efforts, as well as intellectual property protection, to determine whether those policies are "unreasonable or discriminatory and restrict U.S. trade," according to a statement from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.