The President of the United States, Donald Trump, will host Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Thursday, the 7th, for talks on economic and security issues of mutual interest, according to a White House official who spoke on condition of anonymity about a meeting that has not yet been officially announced.
Lula and Trump have had a relationship with ups and downs since the American leader’s return to the White House last year. The Republican imposed, in July of last year, a 40% tariff on Brazilian products, in addition to a prior 10% increase.
The U.S. president justified the tariffs by saying that Brazil’s policies and the criminal prosecution of former President Jair Bolsonaro constituted an economic emergency. But Trump later eased the surcharges on Brazilian goods as part of his effort to reduce costs for American consumers.
Trump and Lula began to re-approach relations at the United Nations General Assembly in September, which was followed by the first private meeting between the two in Malaysia in October, and by subsequent telephone conversations.
Last month, Lula defended Pope Leo XIV during a tense exchange of attacks between the pontiff and Trump over the war in Iran.
*Content translated with the aid of Artificial Intelligence, reviewed and edited by the Broadcast Editorial Desk*
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James Whitmore