World
BRASIL Lula attacks Flávio Bolsonaro over Trump ties amid tariff dispute
Brazil’s president accused the senator of harming the country’s image in the United States. According to O Globo, the clash came as talks continue with Donald Trump over tariffs on Brazilian goods.
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Thursday lashed out at Senator Flávio Bolsonaro during a podcast interview, accusing him of having his brother go to the United States to speak badly about Brazil, according to O Globo.
The newspaper said Lula made the remarks when asked about relations with Donald Trump and the impact of U.S. trade tariffs on Brazil. In that context, Lula said his government is negotiating with Washington and argued that Brazil has strategic assets the United States needs, including niobium. He also said he has not yet enforced Brazil’s Reciprocity Law, but warned he would answer in kind if necessary.
According to O Globo, Lula said Trump’s approach is aimed at securing advantages for his own country and added that he does not want a war with the United States, but rather to defeat Trump in the political narrative.
The exchange comes after a series of U.S. trade measures against Brazilian products. On July 9, 2025, Trump announced a 50% tariff and tied the move to the treatment of Jair Bolsonaro by Brazil’s judiciary, while also criticizing the case against the former president at the Supreme Federal Court.
After that decision, Eduardo Bolsonaro publicly thanked the U.S. president and described the measure as legitimate. He also blamed Justice Alexandre de Moraes and Lula’s government for the U.S. action, and said he had been in contact with Trump representatives to report what he called rights violations in Brazil, O Globo reported.
A year later, with a new 25% tariff under discussion, Flávio Bolsonaro asked the U.S. government to delay implementation for 180 days. According to O Globo, he argued that the tariff measures were politically strengthening Lula in an election year. The senator also traveled to the United States with Eduardo Bolsonaro and took part in a public hearing on the new tariffs.
In November 2025, Trump removed some of Brazil’s main exports to the United States, including beef, coffee and fruit, from an additional 40% tariff, though the decision did not fully end the extra duties, O Globo said.
Later, in July 2026, the United States confirmed an additional 25% tariff on Brazilian goods, with some exemptions, following a year-long investigation under Section 301 of U.S. trade law. According to journalist Valdo Cruz’s blog on g1, Flávio Bolsonaro’s allies had expected a delay that could be presented as a result of his channel to Trump. Once the tariff was confirmed, the senator blamed Lula’s government and its negotiating ability for the new measure.
Separately, a Datafolha poll published by O Globo showed Lula at 48% and Flávio Bolsonaro at 45% in a hypothetical presidential runoff. The survey interviewed 2,506 voters in 152 municipalities from Sept. 29 to Oct. 1 and has a margin of error of two percentage points.
Sources
About this piece. Written by El Notero with AI assistance, from reporting published by the outlet cited above. El Notero did no original reporting on this story.
