Brazil's Lula Condemns 50% US Tariff Defends Democracy

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva strongly criticized the United States' imposition of a 50% tariff on Brazilian imports, calling the tariff "political" and "illogical" in a New York Times op-ed. He emphasized that Brazil remains open to negotiations for mutual benefit but asserted that the country's democracy and sovereignty are not negotiable. The tariffs were imposed by President Donald Trump in response to a Supreme Court ruling that former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro attempted a coup after losing the 2022 election to Lula. Lula praised the court's decision, highlighting that it followed investigations uncovering assassination plots against him, the vice president, and a Supreme Court justice. The U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned of further responses, which Brazil's Foreign Ministry dismissed as inappropriate threats, reaffirming the judiciary's independence. Meanwhile, Bolsonaro, currently under house arrest, made his first public appearance post-ruling for a medical procedure, with his family criticizing the heavy police presence as humiliating.