"Trump, Don't Speak Whatever Comes to Mind," Brazil's Lula Criticizes

South America's 'Leftist Patriarch' Lula Strongly Criticizes Trump
On Tariff Threats and Territorial Remarks: "Bluster Is Unacceptable"
"America Also Needs the World... Tariffs Will Be Met with Retaliation"

Brazilian President Luiz In?cio Lula da Silva, known as the patriarch of the left in South America, criticized U.S. President Donald Trump's threats of imposing tariffs and remarks regarding foreign territories on the 5th (local time), calling it "something that should not be done with bluster." Yonhap News Agency, citing Brazilian media G1 and Reuters, reported that "President Lula said in an interview with a radio station in Minas Gerais state that 'no matter how important a country is, it cannot fight against the entire world.'"

Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, President of Brazil. Photo by AFP Yonhap News

On the same day, President Trump announced, "The Palestinian residents of Gaza will be resettled in other areas, and the United States will take control of Gaza," causing a stir. In response, President Lula said, "It is a nonsensical idea; where are the Palestinian people supposed to live?" and added, "It is an incomprehensible plan, and the people who should be in Gaza are the Palestinian residents."

He pointed out, "There is a need to stop speaking whatever comes to mind," and criticized, "The United States should not change from a country that used to sell 'peace ideas' to one that suddenly sells ideas of provocation and discord."

He also commented on the Trump administration's tariff pressures against countries worldwide. President Lula mentioned the U.S. tariffs on Chinese products, the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico (to the American Gulf), the reclamation of control over the Panama Canal, and exerting influence in Greenland, saying, "Doesn't the United States also need the world?" and added, "Trump needs to learn how to live harmoniously with foreign (leaders)." He further asserted, "If the United States imposes tariffs on Brazil, we will respond with retaliatory tariffs based on the principle of 'reciprocity.'"

Brazil ranks among the top 10 countries in the world by nominal Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and is a member of the BRICS, a coalition of non-Western emerging economies. Last year, President Lula expressed his rejection of 'dollar hegemony,' saying, "I think every night about why all countries have to settle in dollars." Regarding BRICS, President Trump warned, "We will secure assurances that (countries hostile to the U.S.) will abandon attempts to replace the dollar with a new or existing currency, and if not, these countries will face 100% tariffs."