Thursday, May 7, 2026

Trump's visit from Lula leaves reporters guessing

President Donald Trump and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva met for several hours behind closed doors at the White House on Thursday, the South American president's sixth visit to the White House.

His visit highlighted the turbulent nature of the Trumpified West Wing, however, as reporters were left waiting for hours for a joint press availability that was eventually called off altogether.

So what happened? Lula himself was mum as he spoke from the Brazilian Embassy later in the afternoon, only telling reporters that tariffs were a major topic of discussion.

Trump imposed tariffs on Brazil last summer over the Brazilian government's prosecution of Lula's predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro, for a coup attempt. He relaxed many of them in the fall.

A senior official in Lula's administration said that the aim of Thursday's visit was to hammer home that Brazil is not a "problem" for the United States — a notable point to make in the wake of the U.S. capture of Nicolas Maduro and threats against other governments in the Southern Hemisphere.

The canceled press availability and the silence from the White House so far leaves the question of Lula's success or failure unresolved.

Read more here. 

By John Bowden

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