Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva took a cheeky swipe at former US President Donald Trump on Saturday amid Washington’s 50% tariffs on Brazilian goods, including grapes.
In a video filmed while planting grapes—one of the affected crops—Lula invited Trump to experience “the real Brazil.” He said, “I hope you can visit someday so we can talk and you can get to know the true Brazil, the Brazil of people who love samba, carnival, soccer, the United States, China, Russia, Uruguay, and Venezuela. We love everyone.”
The US tariffs, among the steepest imposed on a trading partner, were justified by Trump as a response to what he called a “witch hunt” against his ally, former president Jair Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro is currently on trial over an alleged 2022 coup attempt against Lula, with the US recently sanctioning the judge and seven other Supreme Court magistrates handling the case.
Lula stressed his backing for Brazil’s judiciary and defended the country’s sovereignty. He also noted that his government would contest the tariffs through legal and diplomatic channels if required. Summing up his message with a mix of humor and diplomacy, Lula added, “I am planting food, not violence, not hate. I hope that someday we can talk, President Trump, so you can learn about the quality of the Brazilian people.”
The video underscores Lula’s approach of blending levity and firmness while responding to a politically charged trade dispute that has disrupted longstanding US-Brazil economic ties.
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