One world leader is saying no deal!
A heated global trade battle is brewing as President Donald Trump’s America First tariffs roll out worldwide—and one defiant world leader is trying to make it personal.
Brazil’s leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is openly refusing to negotiate with the United States, delivering a jab that many see as a calculated attempt to embarrass Trump on the world stage.
“When I sense that President Trump is willing to have a conversation, I’ll pick up the phone without delay,” Lula said in an interview with Reuters. “Right now, I don’t believe he’s interested—and I’m not going to lower myself to beg for a meeting.”
The comments come just hours after Trump’s sweeping global tariffs hit more than 60 countries and the European Union. While the baseline rate is 10%, targeted nations—like Brazil—are being slapped with penalties that can soar up to 50%.
Lula has long condemned these tariffs as “unacceptable blackmail,” but Trump has been clear: the policy is about protecting American jobs, defending U.S. manufacturing, and standing up to unfair trade practices.
One day after announcing an extra 40% tariff on Brazilian imports, Trump fired back, saying Lula “can talk to me anytime he wants.” Lula responded indirectly on social media, insisting Brazil is “always open to dialogue” but declaring that “only Brazilians decide our future.”
This escalating standoff isn’t just about trade—it’s about ideology. The Trump White House has been openly critical of Brazil’s treatment of former President Jair Bolsonaro, a close Trump ally.
In a recent executive order, Trump condemned what he called the “politically motivated persecution, intimidation, harassment, censorship, and prosecution” of Bolsonaro. Lula, doubling down, labeled Bolsonaro a “traitor to the homeland” and claimed he should face another trial for “provoking Trump’s intervention.”
“This is no minor interference,” Lula stated. “It’s the U.S. president acting as though he can impose rules on a sovereign nation like Brazil—and that is something we will not accept.”
Still, Lula isn’t backing down. He’s now calling on BRICS nations to discuss a coordinated global response to Trump’s tariffs and is exploring a joint complaint at the World Trade Organization.
For Trump supporters, this is exactly the kind of tough, no-nonsense foreign policy they voted for—a leader willing to stand firm, reject globalist pressure, and put America’s workers first.
