The Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva described the U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, this Tuesday as "anti-Latin America" and "a deadly enemy of Cuba and several Latin American countries."
Lula delivered these words during the inauguration of the new headquarters of the Federal Institute of Goiano in the city of Catalão, in the state of Goiás, in response to Washington's announcement of imposing 25% tariffs on a variety of Brazilian products.
"I had a three-hour conversation with President Trump. Marco Rubio, the head of the U.S. Department of State, is anti-Latin America, a mortal enemy of Cuba and several Latin American countries," declared the leader.
Lula revealed that during his meeting with Donald Trump at the White House on May 7, he had already warned him about Rubio: "I already told Trump that he doesn't like Brazil," he stated, adding that the Secretary of State was not present at that meeting.
The immediate trigger was the announcement by the Office of the United States Trade Representative of an investigation under Section 301, which concluded that certain Brazilian trade practices are "unreasonable."
The research focuses on the Pix digital payment system, digital commerce, intellectual property, access to the ethanol market, and illegal deforestation.
Lula interpreted this measure—along with the classification of Comando Vermelho and PCC as terrorist organizations—as a maneuver to heighten social tensions in Brazil during an election year, with presidential elections scheduled for October 2026.
The exchange of statements occurred simultaneously. While Lula was speaking in Goiás, Rubio was appearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to defend the Department of State's budget for fiscal year 2027.
In that hearing, Rubio categorized Brazil alongside Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela as problematic cases for Washington's hemispheric policy: "Trump has reclaimed the Western Hemisphere. There is no room for China and communism in Latin America anymore. Except for Nicaragua, except for Cuba, except for Venezuela, which still faces challenges, and of course, Brazil, even though they are in the midst of an electoral cycle," he stated.
This positioning confirms that the Trump administration does not view Lula's government as an ally in the regional coalition it has been building since the "Shield of the Americas" summit held in March in Miami with 12 Latin American leaders, from which Brazil was excluded.
Lula also criticized members of former President Jair Bolsonaro's family for supporting the sanctions. “Today Flávio says he didn't say anything, but he's lying, just as Eduardo Bolsonaro thanked us when Brazil was recorded,” he stated.
The Brazilian leader ruled out any show of force and defined his strategy in these terms: "Since I don't have ships to wage Trump's wars, nuclear bombs, or military might, my war is the war of truth against lies, against narratives."
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