RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva issued a sharp warning to U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday, telling him to keep his hands off Brazil’s October presidential election after Trump once again criticized Brazil over court actions targeting Lula’s political opponents.
The exchange highlights the growing strain between the two countries. The Trump administration has proposed additional tariffs on Brazil and recently designated two of the country’s major drug-trafficking organizations as foreign terrorist groups — both decisions that Lula has pushed back against.
Lula has repeatedly defended his country’s independence since Trump first imposed tariffs on Brazil last year, citing what Trump called a “witch-hunt trial” against former President Jair Bolsonaro, a Trump ally. Lula has also objected to U.S. sanctions placed on Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, whom the Trump administration accused of pursuing politically motivated charges against Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro was convicted of attempting a coup after losing the 2022 presidential election to Lula.
On Wednesday, Trump said Brazil had turned “dangerous politically” and that the government was trying to arrest “Bolsonaro junior,” who was “doing well in the polls.”
Brazil’s Supreme Court had convicted one of Bolsonaro’s sons, former lawmaker Eduardo Bolsonaro, on Tuesday. He was found guilty of coercion connected to his father’s coup trial and sentenced to four years and two months behind bars. The court determined he had illegally tried to influence the proceedings by lobbying U.S. officials to pressure Brazilian authorities into halting the case.
However, Trump’s mention of someone doing well in the polls suggested he may have also been referring to Bolsonaro’s eldest son, Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, who is currently running against Lula in the upcoming presidential race. Flávio Bolsonaro has not been arrested.
A reporter shared Trump’s comments with Lula during a press conference held after the G7 summit in France’s Evian-les-Bains, which Lula attended. The Brazilian president responded by saying Trump “doesn’t know Brazil well.”
“If he knows Brazil through his relations with the Bolsonaro family, he doesn’t know Brazil,” Lula said. “He can go on liking Bolsonaro — the father, the son, the grandson — that’s not my problem, it’s his. (…) But don’t interfere in Brazil’s elections, because Brazil’s elections are Brazil’s business.”
Both Eduardo and Flávio Bolsonaro had recently traveled to Washington to meet with U.S. officials, including Trump. Shortly after those meetings, the Trump administration labeled Brazil’s two largest drug-trafficking organizations — First Command Capital and Red Command — as foreign terrorist organizations. Lula pushed back on that classification Wednesday, arguing that while the groups terrorize communities, they are motivated by profit rather than political goals and should not be labeled as terrorist organizations.
The U.S. government has also proposed a 25% tariff on Brazilian imports, accusing the world’s 10th-largest economy of engaging in unfair trade practices. The proposal came even after Lula had traveled to Washington in an effort to convince Trump to hold off on further tariffs.
Lula made clear his frustration over the tariff decision once more on Wednesday. “I think what he did was disrespectful toward Brazil. He knows that. That’s why I said he still behaves like an emperor. We were negotiating an agreement.”
