Brazil’s President Flatly Rejects Trump’s Demand to Drop Bolsonaro Case

(Photo via ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva issued a blistering rebuke to President Donald Trump’s attempt to use trade tariffs as political leverage and firmly refused Trump’s demand that the case against the country’s former president, Jair Bolsonaro, be dropped.

Trump unveiled a 50% tariff on Brazilian imports in a letter posted to social media, one that veered sharply from the boilerplate tone of his previous tariff announcements.

Unlike earlier letters, which changed little beyond the names of countries and leaders, Trump’s message to Lula opened with a tirade over what he called the “international disgrace” of the “Witch Hunt” against Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro, Lula’s right-wing predecessor and a Trump ally, is currently facing charges for allegedly plotting to stay in power after his 2022 election loss.

In a sharply worded statement posted to X and his government’s website, Lula flatly rejected Trump’s call to drop legal proceedings.

“Brazil is a sovereign nation with independent institutions and will not accept any form of tutelage,” Lula declared.

The Brazilian leader stressed that Bolsonaro’s legal troubles “fall exclusively under the jurisdiction of Brazil’s Judicial Branch and, as such, are not subject to any interference or threats that could compromise the independence of national institutions.”

Continuing to respond to Trump’s tariffs letter, issued on Wednesday, in which he claimed that a 50% tariff on Brazilian goods was needed to reduce a trade deficit, Lula pointed to U.S. government data showing the opposite: “A surplus of $410 billion in the trade of goods and services with Brazil over the past 15 years.”

Lula warned any tariff hikes would trigger retaliatory measures under Brazil’s new Economic Reciprocity Law, passed in April with a potential second Trump presidency in mind. The law empowers Brazil to suspend trade benefits and impose countermeasures if targeted unfairly.

Trump had also accused Brazil of censoring U.S. tech firms by enforcing content regulations on social media platforms. Lula fired back, arguing Brazil was simply upholding its own democratic values.

“Sovereignty, respect and the unwavering defense of the interests of the Brazilian people are the values that guide our relationship with the world,” he concluded.