When the Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil and Donald Trump finally talked about their differences on Monday, the man did not even earn a mention in the middle of their months -long splash. A Trump social media post that considers the talk as “very good” does not contain the name Jair Bolsonaro, the former Brazilian president whose trial on coup attempt inspired US leader to draw up 50% rates on many Brazilian goods earlier this year. And although Lula asked Trump to uplift the trade charges and US restrictions on top Brazilian officials, neither Bolsonaro nor his conviction in the 30-minute phone call emerged in September, according to a person present for the conversation. If the call itself proposed a thaw in the relations in Brazil and the US, the sudden sideline of Bolsonaro offered an even clearer sign that Momentum was stuck behind Lula, the left leader who saw his approval ratings rise in the midst of his dispute with Trump. The cheerful statements, on the other hand, upset at least some Bolsonaro allies, according to a person close to the mighty conservative family who, like the others, requested anonymity to discuss internal matters. Brazilian officials hesitate to declare premature victory. But the government of Lula saw the total absence of Bolsonaro of the discussion as an indication that Trump was prepared to turn the page on his ally, two other officials said, a development that would shift the focus of uncontrollable political differences to economic issues on which there was room to cut an agreement. Not only would it remove the biggest obstacle to trading conversations between the nations, as Trump explicitly imposed rates after the Brazil’s top court refused to drop his trial against Bolsonaro. This will also give Lula the chance to fully unleash the kind of charming officers such as Mexico’s Claudia Sheinbaum, with Trump’s lead, and it has long been an important weapon in 79-year-old Brazilian political arsenal. Lula has boasted a reputation for decades as an enchanting figure that everyone from George W. Bush to Emmanuel Macron can win, despite sharp ideological differences or fierce policy distribution. Trump is famous to flattery, and although Lula is too proud, he is a politician to give to the demands of any foreign leader, but he is barely above a little puffy if he considers it useful. On Monday’s call, Lula reminded his counterpart that Brazil has a trade deficiency with the US, part of his case that it has the commercial relationship with the US that Trump claims to have with every nation. He also regarded the conversation as the chance to sit back on a 200-year-old ally between the biggest democracies of the Western Hemisphere, and he sang notes similar to this Prime Minister Keir Starmer about the UK-American relationship during Trump’s visit to London last month. It was an attempt to build on the progress the leaders made during a second meeting at the United Nations General Assembly two weeks ago, a walk that Trump made the ‘excellent chemistry’ he enjoyed with Lula. They even took time to “repeat” the positive impression, each took away from it, according to a read from the government of Brazil. What Bloomberg Economics says … A thaw in tense trade relations with the US could have a significant increase for Brazil, which faces a possible 1% hit against GDP of Donald Trump’s current tariff measures. Further signs of approaching to a call between the US president and his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Monday suggested that Washington may be open to at least some of the additional 40% charges on the Latin American country, as Lula requested. —Jimena Zuniga, Rana Sajedi and Adriana Dupita read their full report here. It is too early to know if Lula will work. But high-level communication channels have not been uncovered, with Foreign Minister Marco Rubio, leading continuing negotiations with the Minister of Finance of Brazil, Fernando Haddad, Vice President Geraldo and other officials. Lula and Trump, meanwhile, both promised that they would meet in person soon. Trump’s schedule is overcrowded, with the expectation that he will host like -minded Argentine leader Javier Milei next week amid their own trade negotiations and talks on financial assistance for the country’s sick economy. But a seat with Lula is possible once a top of Southeast Asian countries in Malaysia later this month, and the Brazilian also indicated that he was prepared to travel to Washington for a meeting. Bolsonaro’s concern for months has focused the son of Bolsonaro, Eduardo, the Trump administration to come to his father’s defense, because the American political pressure is the only way for the former president to escape his legal problems and run against Lula again next year. Some in the Bolsonaro family were already uncomfortable with the vibes coming from the UN encounter, and saw the phone call and the resulting statements as another indication that Trump is ready to go on, a person who is familiar with the situation said. They hope now, the person has added, lies with Rubio, whose Hawkish approach to Latin America’s left-wing leaders inspired the expectations of a more ideological-alignment attitude towards Brazil. This is a view shared by Eduardo Bolsonaro, who praised a social media post on Monday afternoon. But Lula’s administration realizes that Trump, not Rubio, will eventually drive the decision -making process, one of the Brazilian officials said. And after months in which Eduardo was the only Brazilian with access to high level to Washington, it was Lula who apparently established a direct link to Trump himself: they exchanged phone numbers during the call, and Lula, a Brazilian official said, said Trump to call him anytime. © 2025 Bloomberg MP This article was generated from an automatic news agency feed without edits to text.
Looks like Trump is making the page on Bolsonaro in ‘very good’ lula call
