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President Trump's intervention in the politics of another country has brought relations with Brazil to a low. The president imposed tariffs and sanctions in retaliation for the prosecution of his ally, former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. A brief encounter at the U.N. General Assembly brought an unexpected break from this. Julia Carneiro reports.
JULIA CARNEIRO, BYLINE: For decades, it's been tradition for Brazil to deliver the opening speech at the General Assembly. This year, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's appearance drew particular attention, coming just before President Trump. And amid escalating tensions between the two countries, Lula didn't hold back.
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PRESIDENT LUIZ INACIO LULA DA SILVA: (Speaking Portuguese).
CARNEIRO: "There is no justification for unilateral and arbitrary measures against our institutions and our economy," Lula said, alluding to the 50% U.S. tariffs on Brazilian goods imposed last month. The tariffs came on top of U.S. sanctions tied to the prosecution of far-right leader Jair Bolsonaro. On Monday, those measures were extended to Viviane de Moraes, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, the judge who led the case against Bolsonaro and was himself sanctioned by the U.S. Bolsonaro, a Trump ally, was recently sentenced to 27 years in prison for trying to overthrow the government after his defeat to Lula in 2022.
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LULA: (Speaking Portuguese).
CARNEIRO: "Attacks against the independence of Brazil's judiciary power were unacceptable," Lula said at the U.N., "and Brazil's sovereignty was non-negotiable." But as Lula left the stage, Trump prepared to enter, and the two men met in person for the first time backstage.
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PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I saw him, he saw me, and we embraced.
CARNEIRO: In a brief aside during his address, President Trump described the encounter and said the two had agreed to meet next week.
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TRUMP: We had - at least for about 39 seconds, we had excellent chemistry. It's a good sign.
CARNEIRO: Back on script, Trump said Brazil was doing poorly and would continue to do poorly unless they were working with the U.S. Outside the U.N., Brazilian Chancellor Mauro Vieira told CNN Brazil was ready to discuss the tariffs, but its sovereignty and the independence of the three branches of government were off the table.
For NPR News, I'm Julia Carneiro in Rio.
(SOUNDBITE OF ELK'S "THIS TOWN NEEDS GUNS") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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