The US newspaper The Washington Post published an op-ed on Sunday (Jul. 26) by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva criticizing the US government’s tariff measures against Brazil. In the article, Lula challenged the arguments used to justify the tariffs, argued that such measures would also harm the US economy, and stated that “Brazil will not be defeated based on lies.”

The president also argued that Trump’s decision had an ideological component, claiming that it was intended to interfere in Brazilian politics and this year’s elections. The article was also shared on the president’s social media channels.

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“Attempts to impose ideological constraints on the bilateral partnership, or to instrumentalize it for electoral purposes, are unfounded. Never before has a US Secretary of State labeled Brazil an unfriendly country. No one will defeat us based on lies,” said Lula.

The Brazilian president was referring to remarks by Marco Rubio, the Secretary of State who, in early June, excluded Brazil from the list of US-friendly countries in Latin America.

In the article, Lula reiterated the argument the Brazilian government has made since the tariffs were announced in April 2025: that the US maintains a trade surplus with Brazil. He added that Brazil would seek new trading partners around the world.

“In the medium term, these tariffs will disrupt highly integrated production chains, and Brazilian companies will replace US suppliers with other partners,” the president emphasized.

“Strategic error”

On July 15, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) imposed a 25 percent surcharge on various Brazilian products.

The tariffs affected exports of iron and steel, apparel, footwear, sugar, ethanol, pharmaceuticals, agricultural machinery, non-aviation electrical machinery, and other manufactured goods.

The USTR justified the tariffs by arguing that certain Brazilian practices were unreasonable and burdened or restricted trade for US farmers, workers, innovators, and exporters. In his Washington Post op-ed, Lula countered the USTR’s position:

“Beyond being unfair, the new tariffs are a strategic error: they harm the US economy and the partnership with Brazil. Various US industrial sectors rely on Brazilian inputs. Food, footwear, textiles, furniture, auto parts, and many other products will reach US consumers at higher prices.”

Lula also defended Brazil’s efforts to combat deforestation, its legislation addressing crimes committed on social media, and Pix - the instant payment system used in Brazil. All of these issues had been criticized by the US government in recent months.

“We respect the sovereignty of other states and negotiate with all those who respect ours. Reciprocity is the foundation of every relationship between nations, and we have appropriate mechanisms to guarantee it,” the president concluded, reaffirming Brazil’s openness to dialogue.