Trump’s unpopularity: “I’ll rather call Modi, or Xi” says Brazilian Prez
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: Within seven months of his return to the White House, Donald Trump has managed to earn an unmatched unpopularity worldwide, and successfully turned friends into foes, so much so that Brazil’s President da Silva on Tuesday turned down the US President’s offer to call him to discuss tariffs.
The Brazilian leader said he would not call Trump to discuss tariffs because the US leader “does not want to talk,” but added, “I will call Xi Jinping, I will call Prime Minister Modi. I won’t call Putin, because he can’t travel now. But I will call many Presidents.”
According to the media reports, Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Tuesday turned down Trump’s offer to call him anytime to discuss tariffs, saying Rio de Janeiro would instead use all available resources, including the World Trade Organisation (WTO), to defend its interests.
Bilateral tensions between Washington and Rio De Janeiro have recently escalated following the US decision to slap a 50 percent tariff on Brazil, to fight what Trump has called a “witch hunt” against former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is on trial on charges of plotting a coup following his election loss in 2022.
Lula referred to the day the tariffs were imposed as “the most regrettable” time in the bilateral history between the two countries, and said his government was already taking action to strengthen foreign trade with other nations, including BRICS partners.
“In 2025, we will resort to all possible measures, starting with the WTO, to defend our interests…In fact, the government was already taking action to strengthen foreign trade and generate new opportunities for domestic companies before the change of administration in the United States,” Lula said, speaking at an event in Brasilia.
India, Russia, and China are part of BRICS, a group of emerging economies that Washington claims is working to weaken the US dollar. Trump has threatened the countries supporting BRICS policies with an additional 10 percent tariff.
Despite the growing tensions, Lula said he will still invite Trump to COP30, the UN climate change conference, in November, which will be held in Belem, Para.
“I will not call Trump because he does not want to talk…You can be sure, I will call Trump to invite him to COP30 and find out his opinion on the climate issue. I will be kind enough to call him,” he said, according to reports in local media.
“If he doesn’t attend, it’s because he doesn’t want to – but it won’t be for lack of education, friendliness, or democracy,” he added.
Lula said that Brazil was open to negotiating tariffs with the US, but the discussion needs to be done “on equal terms” and with “mutual respect,” reaffirming his commitment to national sovereignty and fair trade.
President Trump said on Friday that his Brazilian counterpart can call him anytime to discuss tariffs and other friction between the countries.
“He can talk to me anytime he wants,” Trump said of Lula, speaking to reporters at the White House. He added he was fond of the Brazilian people, but “the people running Brazil did the wrong thing.”
Later, speaking with reporters in Brasilia, Brazil Finance Minister Fernando Haddad called Trump’s remarks “great,” saying he is sure Lula feels the same, and would be willing to receive a call from the US President.
