Lula: Trump acts as if he were the emperor of planet Earth

Brazil, August 27 - The Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, reiterated on Tuesday his criticisms of Donald Trump, stating that he behaves authoritarily towards everyone, “as if he were the emperor of planet Earth.”

“He has acted as if he were the emperor of the planet. It’s nonsensical, yet he continues to threaten the entire world,” Lula said during a meeting of his government’s Council of Ministers.

The U.S. government imposed a 50% tariff on Brazil and sanctions against Supreme Court judges and government members in retaliation for the legal proceedings against former president Jair Bolsonaro (2019-2023) for attempting a coup.

Regarding trade issues, Lula stated that Brazil is willing to sit at the negotiating table, but only on equal terms. “What we are not willing to accept is to be treated as subordinates. We won’t accept that from anyone,” he emphasized.

The Brazilian leader asserted that Trump threatens anyone who attempts to implement regulatory measures against major U.S. tech companies, referred to as big tech.

Lula, who is preparing a bill on the matter to submit to the National Congress, asserted that Brazil is a sovereign country and that foreign companies must respect local legislation. “We are a sovereign country; we have a constitution and laws. Anyone who wants to enter our 8.5 million square kilometers, our airspace, maritime space, and forests, must abide by our constitution and regulations,” he stated.

He also criticized the U.S. government’s decision to suspend the entry visa of Justice Minister Ricardo Lewandowski, describing this gesture as irresponsible and part of a tactic employed by the Trump administration against Brazil: the withdrawal of visas, alongside tariffs and financial sanctions targeting high-ranking officials.

“These actions are unacceptable, not only against the minister but against all Justices of the Supreme Court and any Brazilian figure,” Lula said.

During the meeting focused on U.S. tariffs, Lula and several of his ministers wore blue caps with the slogan “Brazil belongs to Brazilians.”

Last week, Paulo Figueiredo, a Brazilian influencer residing in the United States, mentioned this sanction on social media platform X.

Figueiredo and Eduardo Bolsonaro, the son of the far-right former president, who also currently resides in the United States, are intensively lobbying the U.S. government to adopt measures against Brazilian authorities.

“This is probably one of the worst betrayals the homeland has suffered,” Lula declared, clearly alluding to this lobbying effort. “There is nothing more serious than a son, funded by his family, spreading lies and hypocrisy in another state against Brazil.”

Last Wednesday, the Brazilian police recommended charging Jair Bolsonaro and his son Eduardo for obstructing the criminal process regarding the attempted coup in 2022.

Trump imposed punitive tariffs of 50% on many Brazilian products, claiming there is a “witch hunt” against Bolsonaro, his close ally.

In July, Washington suspended the visa of Judge Alexandre de Moraes, who is overseeing the trial, along with other Supreme Court justices. Additionally, Moraes was subjected to the so-called Magnitsky Act, a tool for financially sanctioning alleged human rights violators worldwide.

This legislation involves blocking any potential assets of Moraes in the United States and prohibiting U.S. citizens and businesses from engaging in transactions with him.

A Brazilian judicial source told AFP that “the judge has no assets in the United States.”

Bolsonaro, a leader of the Brazilian right and far-right, is currently under house arrest and faces more than 40 years in prison. The Supreme Court is set to announce its verdict on Bolsonaro starting September 2. (Text and Photo: Cubadebate)