Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has announced readiness to impose retaliatory tariffs in response to President Donald Trump's threat of a 50% import tax on Brazil. Lula rejected Trump's characterization of the trade relationship as "far from reciprocal," asserting Brazil's sovereignty and diplomacy. Lula deemed Trump's letter initially a fake and stressed respect for Brazilian justice. Despite tensions, Brazil's Finance Minister promotes resolving disputes through diplomacy, highlighting the U.S.'s trade surplus and the complexities of the situation according to experts.
Assessing Trump's warning, Lula stated, "The Brazilian people must be respected. Brazilian justice must be respected." He emphasized Brazil's sovereignty and diplomatic history.
Lula criticized Trump's tariff threat as inaccurate, asserting, "We are a great, sovereign country with a historic tradition of diplomacy with all nations. Brazil will adopt the necessary measures to protect its people and its companies."
Marc Busch, a Georgetown trade policy professor, said, "Using tariffs as political pressure over another country's internal judicial proceedings is highly provocative. Brazil taking this seriously may escalate in a dramatic and qualitatively different way than Trump has seen with other trade partners."
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