Donald Trump has been going after any nation that dares to stand up to him. Two presidents have stood up to his bullying: Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico and now Lula da Silva of Brazil.
Let’s talk about his courage and how everyone should learn from Lula da Silva of Brazil.
For the past weeks, Trump has been threatening Brazil with 50% tariffs. Back when Lula ran for president, he had his version of Trump as his opponent: former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro was leading Brazil’s MAGA movement, and Lula only won by a thin margin. Bolsonaro then led Brazil’s version of January 6 and tried to overtake the government by force.
Now, authorities have charged Bolsonaro for trying to forcefully hold onto power after losing his 2022 election. Trump is calling it a “witch hunt” and wants the charges against his friend, Bolsonaro, to be dropped.
But Lula isn’t budging.
For the first time in 13 years, Lula went on the record with the New York Times, in the hope of reaching the American masses about his troubled back-and-forth with Trump.
Lula told The New York Times:
Be sure that we are treating this with the utmost seriousness. But seriousness does not require subservience,” the Brazilian president said. I treat everyone with great respect. But I want to be treated with respect.
Lula is a true Leftist - one can even argue that he is a socialist. His history is also fascinating, but we can get into that another time. He’s been traveling in Brazil, responding to Trump through speeches to his people while wearing a hat that says “Brazil belongs to Braziians”.
The thing is, the 50% tariff will be amongst some of the highest ones he has issued against any country. It’s obviously because of his political reasons, not for economic ones.
Bolsonaro and Trump are two peas in a pod. They ran for president, lost re-election, and denied losing their race. They then both proceeded to deny their loss and encouraged their followers to storm both national capital buildings. Both failed attempts to try to continue the election they lost fair and square.
The only difference now is that all of their capital rioters are in prison, and Bolsonaro is also facing prison time. Trump is president again, and his crew of rioters are out of jail as they all received pardons.
Bolsonaro’s case is escalating so much to the point that the Brazilian Supreme Court has ordered him to wear an ankle monitor as his trial dates are creeping closer to prevent him from fleeing the country.
These tariffs will have a significant impact on our economy, as the U.S. had a $7.4 billion trade surplus with Brazil last year on around $92 billion in trade.
Lula told the NYT that:
It was “disgraceful” that Mr. Trump issued his threats on his social media site, Truth Social. President Trump’s behavior strayed from all standards of negotiations and diplomacy, he said. When you have a commercial disagreement, a political disagreement, you pick up the phone, you schedule a meeting, you talk and you try to solve the problem. What you don’t do is tax and give an ultimatum.
Trump's personal vendetta against Brazil will increase the cost of our coffee, beef, orange juice, and other products imported from Brazil. About 30% of U.S. coffee imports come from Brazil. Lula was openly supporting Kamala Harris’s bid for office, but when Trump won, he sent him a letter to his office, to which he received no response.
It also doesn’t help that Bolsonaro’s son, Eduardo Bolsonaro, has been in Washington, D.C. for quite some time now lobbying for sanctions against Brazil solely for his father’s potential freedom.
Despite Lula’s efforts to communicate with Trump, Trump has ignored him and still imposed tariffs on his country. So now, Lula has a choice: back down to Trump and give him what he wants; set Bolsonaro free after all of the laws he broke, or have his people/Americans suffer from some of the worst tariffs any country in the world has seen from Trump.
It’s safe to say that Lula is not backing down.
Background on Lula da Silva
A former union leader and founding member of the Workers' Party (PT), Lula first served as Brazil’s president from 2003 to 2010, during which he oversaw significant economic growth and major poverty reduction initiatives, including the widely praised Bolsa Família program.
After leaving office with high approval ratings, Lula was later convicted on corruption charges and imprisoned; a conviction that was eventually annulled, allowing him to return to politics.
In 2022, he won re-election, defeating far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro. Lula’s leadership today is marked by a renewed focus on social justice, environmental protection (especially the Amazon), and distancing Brazil from authoritarian influences, including openly criticizing global far-right figures like Donald Trump.
In a world where too many leaders fold under pressure or prioritize political convenience over principle, Lula da Silva is choosing courage. Faced with economic threats, political intimidation, and global pressure from one of the most powerful men in the world, he’s refusing to compromise Brazil’s democracy or its dignity.
He’s showing that leadership isn’t about appeasement; it’s about standing firm, even when the cost is high. While Trump demands submission and Bolsonaro evades accountability, Lula is reminding the world that justice, sovereignty, and truth still matter.
He isn’t just defying Trump, he’s setting a global example of what it means to lead with conviction. And in times like these, that matters more than ever.
Thank you for sharing the truth, Ariana. That was wonderfully written.
I love learning new things. Thank you for writing and sharing this piece.