Trump meets with Brazil leader Lula in Malaysia amid trade tensions
President Trump and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva met Sunday in Malaysia amid trade tensions between their two countries.
“President Trump meets with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at [Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)] summit,” the White House’s account on the social platform X posted Sunday, featuring a photo of the two leaders.
The Brazilian president said that the meeting went well, also stating that the two countries’ teams will begin “immediately” on tariff discussions and beyond, according to Reuters.
According to the White House’s X post, Trump said that it was “a great honor to be with the President of Brazil… I think we should be able to make some pretty good deals for both countries.”
Trump and Lula discussed tariffs during a phone call earlier this month that each leader described as a good step in the direction of improving relations.
During the call, Lula asked Trump to get rid of the extra 40 percent tariff he imposed this summer over the prosecution of ex-Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on an alleged plan to hold onto power after losing an election. The new tariff raised the prior rate from 10 percent to 50 percent.
Tensions between Brazil and Trump had been high in part because of the prosecution of Bolsonaro, which Trump had criticized as a “witch hunt,” a phrase he has also used to describe cases brought against him.
In an opinion piece in The New York Times in September, Lula fired back at the remarks, while calling Trump’s tariffs illogical and misguided.
Trump’s tariff policy since returning to office in January has strained relationships with multiple countries, including allies like Canada and the European Union. It has also rattled markets and increased economic uncertainty. Trump has said the tariffs will save the country by helping domestic manufacturers and increasing national security.
On Saturday, Trump hit Canada with a 10 percent tariff on top of a prior rate in the wake of an advertisement pushing against tariffs airing amid the World Series, in which Canada’s own Toronto Blue Jays are playing.
The Canadian advertisement includes different parts of a 1987 speech from former President Reagan on “free and fair trade.”
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