It took 17 months to come about, but the first working meeting in U.S. President Donald Trump’s second term of the Presidents of the two most populous nations in the Western Hemisphere, the United States and Brazil, was finally held at the White House on May 7. Including lunch, Presidents Trump and Lula da Silva met for three hours.
President Trump described Lula da Silva as “very dynamic” in a short Truth Social post afterwards, writing that “the meeting went very well.” He reported that “trade, and specifically tariffs” were among the many topics discussed, adding that “our representatives are scheduled to get together to discuss certain key elements. Additional meetings will be scheduled over the coming months, as necessary.” In a brief exchange with reporters later in the day, Trump called Lula “a good man” and “a smart guy.”
Lula da Silva and his team (he was accompanied by five cabinet ministers and the head of the Federal Police) gave more details in a post-meeting press conference at the Brazilian Embassy. Lula, too, was “very satisfied” with the meeting, and called his relationship with Trump “very good.”
It is clear, however, that the meeting was not all agreement.
The first big bilateral economic issue discussed was tariffs and the ongoing U.S. “Section 301 investigation” into Brazil’s alleged unfair practices. Here it was agreed that a binational working group should prepare a resolution to be presented to a meeting between their trade representatives within 30 days.
Critical minerals was another. U.S. interest in gaining control over reserves of these minerals in every country possible—and keeping them out of the hands of China—is well-known, and the going estimate is that Brazil may hold as much as 20% of the world’s known reserves. Lula, however, reported to Trump that Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies had just passed a law regulating this sector, declaring the development of these minerals a matter of national sovereignty, and prioritizing the processing of these minerals inside Brazil before their export. Furthermore, Lula said that “Brazil wants to share its critical minerals potential with whoever wants to invest in the country—whether they’re from the U.S., China, Germany, Japan, or France…. We have no preference.”
Their well-known sharply differing views on international strategic issues were also on the table. Lula da Silva raised the disastrous effects of Trump’s oil blockade on the Cuban economy, and offered to help mediate negotiations with the Cuban government. He gave Trump a copy of the agreement Brazil and Turkiye had reached with Iran in 2010 to resolve the nuclear danger, which President Barack Obama and the Europeans promptly sabotaged. Lula commented to reporters that “the invasion of Iran will cause more damage than Trump expects…. He thinks the war is over. But that’s not real.” As for combatting the international drug trade, Lula reported that he offered to help organize a coalition of all the countries in the region to fight organized crime—but as equals, without a “hegemon.” Brazil has put on the table a strategy centered on asphyxiating the finances of the drug traffickers and other such measures, on which EIR News will report in more detail in the coming days.
