US President Trump and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva signaled a significant improvement in relations between their two countries during a 40-minute phone call on Tuesday. The conversation, described as "productive" by both leaders, touched on various topics including reducing trade barriers and tackling organized crime.
Trump expressed his willingness to work with Brazil to combat international organized crime, stating that Lula had assured him the Brazilian government would cooperate fully in addressing this issue. In a statement on Truth Social, Trump emphasized the importance of strengthening cooperation between their countries to combat organized crime, adding that he looked forward to speaking with Lula soon.
The phone call came after months of economic and political tensions between the US and Brazil. Tensions had been high following Trump's return to office, particularly over his close relationship with Brazil's former right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro. In February, a Brazilian attorney general filed charges against Bolsonaro for seeking to overturn election results that led to Lula's presidency.
Trump had threatened to hike tariffs on certain Brazilian exports to 50% if the case was not dropped, which went into effect in August. The US also imposed sanctions and visa restrictions on one of Brazil's Supreme Court members involved in the Bolsonaro investigation. However, in September, a turning point seemed to come when Lula and Trump shared a brief encounter at the United Nations General Assembly.
Trump announced he would peel back tariff hikes on certain Brazilian agricultural products, including coffee, cocoa, and beef, which was seen as a positive step towards improving relations. Lula praised the move but emphasized that there was more work to be done in negotiations between their countries.
The US is Brazil's second-largest trading partner, with bilateral trade reaching $127.6 billion in 2024. However, Brazil has a significant trade deficit with the US. The US exports nearly $91.5 billion to Brazil compared to just $36.1 billion in Brazilian exports to the US.
A key area of discussion during Tuesday's call was cooperation on organized crime. Trump has made combating Latin American cartels and gangs a priority since returning to office, including designating numerous groups as "foreign terrorist organizations." Lula himself has faced pressure to address crime ahead of his re-election bid in 2026.
While the phone call marked an improvement in relations between their countries, both leaders acknowledged that more work needs to be done.
Trump expressed his willingness to work with Brazil to combat international organized crime, stating that Lula had assured him the Brazilian government would cooperate fully in addressing this issue. In a statement on Truth Social, Trump emphasized the importance of strengthening cooperation between their countries to combat organized crime, adding that he looked forward to speaking with Lula soon.
The phone call came after months of economic and political tensions between the US and Brazil. Tensions had been high following Trump's return to office, particularly over his close relationship with Brazil's former right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro. In February, a Brazilian attorney general filed charges against Bolsonaro for seeking to overturn election results that led to Lula's presidency.
Trump had threatened to hike tariffs on certain Brazilian exports to 50% if the case was not dropped, which went into effect in August. The US also imposed sanctions and visa restrictions on one of Brazil's Supreme Court members involved in the Bolsonaro investigation. However, in September, a turning point seemed to come when Lula and Trump shared a brief encounter at the United Nations General Assembly.
Trump announced he would peel back tariff hikes on certain Brazilian agricultural products, including coffee, cocoa, and beef, which was seen as a positive step towards improving relations. Lula praised the move but emphasized that there was more work to be done in negotiations between their countries.
The US is Brazil's second-largest trading partner, with bilateral trade reaching $127.6 billion in 2024. However, Brazil has a significant trade deficit with the US. The US exports nearly $91.5 billion to Brazil compared to just $36.1 billion in Brazilian exports to the US.
A key area of discussion during Tuesday's call was cooperation on organized crime. Trump has made combating Latin American cartels and gangs a priority since returning to office, including designating numerous groups as "foreign terrorist organizations." Lula himself has faced pressure to address crime ahead of his re-election bid in 2026.
While the phone call marked an improvement in relations between their countries, both leaders acknowledged that more work needs to be done.
, reminds me of when Obama was still in office and he had those awesome summits with foreign leaders, you know how smooth and diplomatic it all seemed 
? Now, Trump and Lula talking about trade barriers and organized crime, that's just like the old days when we used to negotiate with our friends over a nice game of hockey 
️. I'm all for cooperation, especially on something as serious as organized crime, but let's not forget the US-Brazil trade deficit, it's like they're still trying to catch up from the 90s 
. Still, it's heartening to see them taking small steps in the right direction, fingers crossed it's a turning point for their countries 
after all those months of drama. it's like they took a step back from all that crazy stuff about tariffs and sanctions and focused on actually making progress 
. i mean, who doesn't want to reduce trade barriers and tackle organized crime? it's not like we haven't been down this road before with other countries... but hey, at least something's happening 
.
and it just so happens that they've got a common goal... who knows? all i know is that our pockets are gonna be happy if these guys can make some real progress 
.
. but for now, it's nice to see the US and Brazil talking turkey again 
. I think both presidents showed willingness to work together, but they gotta dig deeper into issues like trade & organized crime 
. Trump's tariff hikes were a big deal, and Lula's presidency has been marked by tough crime-fighting measures 
. It's cool that they talked about boosting cooperation on these fronts 
. But let's be real, it's gonna take more than just one phone call to fix everything 
.
I'm lowkey hyped about this recent phone call btw Trump and Lula seem to be on the same page regarding organized crime & trade barriers. It's been a wild ride with all the tariffs & sanctions going back & forth, but I guess that's all water under the bridge now 
The fact that they're talking shop & setting aside their differences is a win-win for both countries. Now let's see some real action on those trade deals 
. Now, let's be real, organized crime is a huge issue on both sides of the border, so it's great that they're working together on this front 
. I'm also loving that Trump announced some tariff hikes would be scrapped, which will likely give Brazil's farmers a much-needed boost 
. Of course, there's still plenty to work out between these two economic giants, but for now, let's just enjoy the sunshine 
!
. Like, he's trying to make amends with Lula and Brazil is actually a huge market for US goods, so it makes sense they'd wanna strengthen their ties 
. Trump's willingness to cooperate with Lula on combating international crime is a great sign of good faith #TrumpAndLulaUnity.
. I'm all for more trade agreements between the two countries, it'll be a game-changer for both economies 
. We need to see more positive steps in negotiations between their governments #USBrazilFriendshipGoals.
So it looks like Trump and Lula finally had a chill convo after all those tariffs and sanctions 
. I mean who doesn't love a good game of tit-for-tat with countries? It's like a real-life version of Jenga, except instead of blocks, they're negotiating trade deals 
. But seriously, it's great to see some improvement in relations between the US and Brazil, especially since we've been seeing a lot of drama lately 
. Lula seems like a cool cat who just wants to chill with Trump and work on some joint projects 
. And hey, if coffee, cocoa, and beef are involved, that's just a bonus 
️
!
just got wind of the call btw. think it's about time we see some real cooperation on organized crime tho. brazil's been strugglin with cartels for ages and trump's all over it like a bad habit. lol at him peelin back tariff hikes tho, nice move. guess we'll have to wait n see if lula's actually gonna get his act together 
. Sure, peeling back tariff hikes on Brazilian agricultural products is a nice gesture, but let's not forget the history with Jair Bolsonaro 
. And what about the real motive behind Trump wanting to tackle organized crime in Latin America? Is it just a cover for his own agenda or some twisted attempt to flex his muscles in the region? 
I'm not convinced this phone call was as "productive" as they're making it out to be 
️ But seriously, the fact that they're talking turkey on trade barriers and organized crime is a major win for both countries.
It was like they were trying out for a reality TV show or something.
.
