Lula Hits Back at Trump Tariff Threat as ‘Unacceptable Blackmail

Date: 18 July 2025 - 23:00

News ID: ۱۴۱۵۳۱

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has said he would not take orders over tariffs from a foreigner, referring to U.S. President Donald Trump, and later called the United States’ threatened duty “unacceptable blackmail.”
The comments, made during two separate events, mark a continuation of a spat between the two leaders that escalated when the U.S. announced a 50% tariff on Brazil last week.
Trump attributed the tariff, set to start in August, to Brazil’s treatment of former president Jair Bolsonaro and to trade practices against U.S. companies that he said are unfair. The tariff announcement came days after Lula called Trump an “emperor” the world does not want.
Lula and members of his cabinet have rejected the reasoning behind the tariffs and insisted on Brazil’s sovereignty, while calling for trade negotiations with the United States.
“No foreigner is going to give orders to this president,” Lula said in a speech, using the slang word ‘gringo’, which in Brazil is a common term for foreigners without the pejorative sense it carries in other parts of Latin America.
He added that Brazil would go ahead with regulation and taxation of U.S. tech firms, telling a gathering of leftist student activists in the state of Goias that tech firms are conduits of violence and fake news disguised as freedom of expression.
Later on Thursday, during an evening TV and radio address to the nation, Lula said the defense of Brazil’s sovereignty extends to protecting itself against the actions of foreign digital platforms.
During the near five-minute address, Lula said Brazil has been negotiating with the U.S. over tariffs, and repeated that the Latin America country had sent a proposal in May.
“We expected a response, and what we received was unacceptable blackmail, in the form of threats to Brazilian institutions and false information about trade between Brazil and the United States,” Lula said.
Brasilia has been holding discussions with industry groups and companies that will be affected by the U.S. tariff, while also readying potential retaliatory measures if talks fall through.
**Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva gestures as he speaks during a meeting with African agriculture ministers at the Itamaraty Palace in Brasilia on May 19, 2025.