Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva walks past flags during at the G7 summit, Tuesday, June 16, 2026, in Evian-les-Bains, France. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro of the Liberal Party speaks at the “Brazil 2050: Industry on the presidential candidates agenda” event in Brasilia, Brazil, Monday, June 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and his rival Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro clashed over U.S. tariffs this week, as both sought to discourage the Trump administration from following through with its proposal of applying taxes of 25% on Brazilian products despite an extensive U.S. trade surplus.
The two top candidates for October’s presidential election traded barbs over their responses, suggesting that they believe how they are perceived as handling the deeply unpopular U.S. tariffs will be a key factor in the vote.
While Sen. Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, emphasized that the tariffs would strengthen Lula, Brazil’s government rebuked the argument that its trade policies are unreasonable, discriminatory or burdensome to U.S. commerce.
