The Brazilian leader accused Washington of economic blackmail and vowed to defend national sovereignty
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has accused the United States of having “helped stage a coup” in Brazil and condemned what he described as Washington’s attempt to use political pressure to impose economic punishment on his country.
Speaking at a Workers’ Party event in Brasília on Sunday, Lula warned that Brazil would not accept unequal treatment and is ready to defend its interests on the global stage.
“Trying to use a political issue to economically sanction us is unacceptable,” Lula said, referring to recent US threats to impose a 50% tariff on Brazilian exports.
“I won’t forget that they have already helped stage a coup here,” Lula added. He did not clarify whether he was referring to the 1964 Operation Brother Sam, the 2016 impeachment of former president Dilma Rousseff, or the recent attempt by ex-president Jair Bolsonaro to overturn the 2022 election results.
President Donald Trump linked the tariff threat to what he called a “witch hunt” against the “highly respected” Bolsonaro, who stands accused of attempting a coup to stay in power. Washington has also imposed sanctions on Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who is overseeing Bolsonaro’s case.
Lula stressed that Brazil is no longer economically dependent on the US, citing expanded global trade ties and stronger domestic fundamentals. He also reaffirmed his push for an alternative to the US dollar in international commerce.
“They want to end multilateralism… They want to go back to country-to-country deals where the big dominate the small,” Lula said. “In other words, a small country negotiating with the United States is like a factory worker with 80,000 coworkers negotiating alone with the boss. The agreement is lopsided; you won’t gain anything.”
“We have size, we have posture, we have strategic and economic interests… We want to negotiate, but we want to negotiate on equal terms,” he added.
At 50%, Brazil would face the highest US import tariff globally. In addition, Trump has previously threatened an extra 10% tariff against BRICS members, accusing them of trying to “destroy the dollar as the global standard.”
Brazil is a founding member of BRICS, formed in 2006 with Russia, India, and China. The bloc has since expanded to include South Africa, Egypt, Iran, Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates, and Indonesia. Its leaders have consistently stated they have no intention of weakening the dollar, arguing that Washington itself undermines it through political misuse.
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