Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva tells CNN’s Christiane Amanpour in an exclusive interview it was “a surprise” to see President Donald Trump’s letter posted to Truth Social, threatening Brazil with a crippling tariff of 50%.

Rio de Janeiro

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has publicly addressed the recent threat by former US President Donald Trump to impose a 50% tariff on Brazilian goods. In an interview, Lula described the announcement as a surprise and criticized both the size of the proposed tariff and the way it was communicated, stating that it broke diplomatic protocol between heads of state.

Lula emphasized the longstanding relationship between Brazil and the United States and called for negotiation rather than unilateral action. He assured that Brazil is preparing an appropriate response and will seek to resolve the issue through dialogue, reaffirming the country's commitment to diplomatic engagement.

Brazil’s president hits back at Trump’s threat of 50% tariffs

What does it feel like to be slapped with a 50% tariff by the United States, the world's biggest economy? Well, Christiane, for me, it was a surprise, not only the value of that tariff, but also how it was announced, the way it was announced. We cannot have President Trump forgetting that he was elected to govern the U.S. He was elected not to be the emperor of the world. It would be much better to establish a negotiation first and then to reach the possible agreement because we're two countries that we had very good meetings and we have good relations for 200 years. And so he's breaking away from any protocol, any liturgy that should exist between the relations between two heads of state. It was very unpleasant. We're trying to talk with the people there, but we're also preparing ourselves to give an answer to that. What I've been saying publicly is that we will use all the words that exist in the dictionary in trying to negotiate. Even Trump, he received Bolsonaro for a few minutes. Even Trump didn't want to talk with Bolsonaro. And now President Trump to write a letter and put it as a precondition for negotiation, no. And that's very discretionary. I can't even believe in that. When I read the letter, I thought it was fake news when I saw the letter through the media. And then I thought it was a true letter that was signed by President Trump. So I can reassure you that Brazil, at the right moment, will give the right answer to President Trump's letter.

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Washington

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Tennessee

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Damascus

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London

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Mexico City

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Moscow

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As Suwayda

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New Jersey

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Breakdown