Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva took his criticism of new American tariffs directly to U.S. readers Sunday, publishing an opinion piece in The Washington Post in which he described the duties as both unjust and a serious strategic error.
“This month, disregarding dozens of meetings between our teams, solid technical arguments, and documents I personally handed to President Trump, the U.S. government imposed new tariffs on Brazil ranging from 12.5 percent to 37.5 percent,” Lula wrote in the column.
Lula pointed out that these new tariffs came after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a previous round of 50% tariffs. He warned that everyday goods — including food, shoes, clothing, furniture, and auto parts — will become pricier for American shoppers as a result.
The U.S. Embassy in Brazil had not responded to requests for comment on the op-ed at the time of publication.
Lula cited Global Trade Alert, an independent Switzerland-based organization, which found that Brazil and Turkey now rank as the second most heavily tariffed nations by the United States, trailing only China.
He argued the tariffs are particularly puzzling given that the U.S. has enjoyed a trade surplus with Brazil in goods and services totaling $428 billion across 15 straight years.
The op-ed appeared the day after Trump ally and conservative presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro formally launched his campaign. Lula also noted that Brazilian exports to the United States have dropped to their lowest point since 1997.
“In the medium term, these tariffs will disrupt supply chains that are currently deeply integrated, and Brazilian companies will replace their U.S. suppliers with partners elsewhere,” Lula wrote.
While expressing a willingness to engage in productive talks with Washington, Lula made clear that Brazil would not bow to outside pressure. “Brazil’s destiny is for Brazilians alone to determine — without foreign interference or subservience,” he said.
