TANZANIA – Brazil’s president expressed on Wednesday his surprise at encountering U.S. President Donald Trump unexpectedly, noting a “chemistry” between them despite the strained relations between the Americas’ two largest economies.
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva shared in a news conference that their first meeting left him feeling “very happy” and “optimistic” about the chance for Brazil and the U.S. to convene soon and dissolve the “bad feeling” regarding Brazil-U.S. relations.
The Trump administration has instituted sanctions on certain judges and others and has applied 50% tariffs on numerous Brazilian exports due to the arrest and conviction of the Brazilian president’s ally, former President Jair Bolsonaro, who was recently sentenced to 27 years in prison for attempting a coup in the South American country.
Trump and Lula coincidentally met as the Brazilian leader was exiting after addressing the annual world leaders’ gathering at the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday, while the U.S. president was entering and preparing to take the podium.
“I saw him, he saw me, and we embraced,” Trump mentioned in his speech to the leaders. “We didn’t have much time to talk, like about 20 seconds. … We had a good talk, and we agreed to meet next week.”
Lula “seemed like a very nice man,” and “I liked him,” the U.S. president said. “We had excellent chemistry. It’s a good sign.”
Trump acknowledged having “a little problem” when informing the assembly after his encounter with Lula that Brazil is looking at significant tariffs for allegedly engaging in “censorship, repression, weaponization, judicial corruption, and targeting of political critics in the United States” — along with placing unfair tariffs on the United States.
Lula said he was going to get his papers after delivering his speech when Trump appeared, “looking very friendly, very pleasant, and I think that indeed there was some chemistry there.”
He said he told Trump there are many issues and “Let’s bring everything to the table.” A lot of investments are at stake, trade is very important, and the two countries have a 200-year history of diplomatic relations, the Brazilian said.
But Lula said what cannot be discussed is Brazil’s sovereignty and democracy and the work of its judges and judicial system.
The Brazilian president said the leaders he respects most are those elected by the people, regardless of ideology.
Lula said he turns 80 years old in October and Trump’s 80th birthday is in June 2026, and there is no reason for them to play games.
“I’m going to treat him with the respect that he deserves as the president of the U.S.,” Lula said, “and he’s going to treat me with the respect that the president of the Federal Republic of Brazil deserves.”
Lula said he believes Trump has been receiving incorrect information about Brazil — including that the United States has a trade deficit with his country when the U.S. has had a $410 billion surplus in the last 15 years.
“I don’t know how many politicians in the world actually believe in human relations as I do, but everything can be sorted out when two people talk,” Lula said. “So, I want him to know what is true really about Brazil.”
He said he has always negotiated, and for both sides it needs to be “a win-win agreement.”
Trump told the assembly that “Brazil is doing poorly” and “they can only do well when they’re working with us.”
“Without us,” he said, “they will fail just as others have failed.”
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