Brazil’s leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Thursday (July 2, 2026) lashed out at his right-wing rival Flavio Bolsonaro for looking to postpone potential U.S. tariff hikes until after the South American country’s elections.

Polls are projecting a tight race between leftist Mr. Lula and Mr. Bolsonaro — the son of former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro — in the October presidential ballot.

U.S. tariffs have become a key issue throughout the campaign, with U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration proposing 25% tariffs on some Brazilian goods.

In a document sent to the United States Trade Representative on Wednesday (July 1, 2026), Mr. Bolsonaro suggested “postponing implementation until after the October vote.”

The delay would prevent the rate hike from being interpreted “as an attempt to influence the outcome” of the elections, he said.

Mr. Lula blasted the request in a post on X.

“Asking that the brutal rate hike against our country be postponed until after the elections is yet another act of treason against the homeland,” he said.

Mr. Trump will decide by July 15 whether to impose the measure, which Mr. Lula accuses Mr. Bolsonaro of pushing by allegedly lobbying the White House.

The right-wing presidential candidate denies the accusations, and last week stated that he had requested to testify at a hearing to prevent the introduction of the tariffs.

Mr. Trump maintains close relations with right-wing leaders across Latin America, including Bolsonaro senior, who was convicted of plotting a coup in 2022.

Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Tuesday (November 4, 2025) said he will personally call his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump if negotiations on U.S. tariffs do not make progress in the near future.

The U.S. government has increased tariffs on many Brazilian goods by more than 50%, but Mr. Lula and Mr. Trump discussed reaching a potential deal during a meeting in Malaysia in October.

“I have his number, he has mine. I have no trouble calling him,” Mr. Lula told reporters ahead of the United Nations’ climate summit known as COP.

Its 30th edition starts this week in Belem, a Brazilian city on the edge of the Amazon.

“When COP30 ends, if a meeting between my negotiators and his is not yet scheduled, I’ll call Mr. Trump again,” the Brazilian leader said, adding that his main negotiators, Vice President Geraldo Alckmin and Finance Minister Fernando Haddad, are keen for further talks.

“I won’t have any issue in going to Washington, going to New York [to discuss tariffs] and I hope that he [Trump] has no problem in coming to Brazil,” Mr. Lula said.

On July 30, Mr. Trump signed an executive order to impose 50% tariffs on Brazil. Mr. Trump has linked the tariffs to the country’s policies and criminal prosecution of former President Jair Bolsonaro.

The U.S. ran a $6.8 billion trade surplus last year with Brazil, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

“Brazil and the U.S. are the biggest democracies in the Western world. The more we respect each other, the more cordial we are with each other before the world, the best it will be for the U.S. and for Brazil. That’s how I do politics,” Mr. Lula said.

Bolsonaro was sentenced in September to 27 years and three months in jail for leading a coup attempt after his 2022 election defeat to Mr. Lula. The former President, who has been under house arrest since August, is now appealing to reduce his prison sentence.

Separately, Mr. Lula urged Latin American states to help avoid a conflict in Venezuela as the Trump administration orders military action against vessels allegedly linked to drug cartels.

The veteran leader said he is considering attending a Community of Latin American and Caribbean States meeting in Colombia next week, where the 33-member body will discuss U.S. military action in the region. Some members of the European Union will also be in attendance.

Mr. Trump’s military operations in the Caribbean have killed dozens of people who he accuses of being members of a drug cartel led by Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro.

Last month, he authorised the CIA to conduct covert actions inside Venezuela, and the U.S. government has doubled the bounty for the capture of Maduro, who denies the accusations, which he claims to be an excuse for American military action in the region.

“I told Mr. Trump that Latin America is a region of peace,” Mr. Lula said. “I don’t want us to reach the point of a U.S. ground invasion of Venezuela.”

He added: “Police have every right to fight drug dealers…the Americans could be helping those countries instead of trying to shoot against them.”

Mr. Lula said he also urged Mr. Trump to follow the example of former U.S. President George W Bush, who took part in discussions to pacify Venezuela after a coup attempt against then Venezuela President Hugo Chavez in 2002.

“At that time I suggested we create a group of friends of Venezuela. I put the U.S. there, I put Spain,” Mr. Lula said.

“It was not a group of friends of Chavez. We eventually reached a deal.”

Mr. Lula also criticised Rio de Janeiro authorities after 121 people were killed in a massive police raid targeting a drug trafficking gang. The operation in two of the city’s favelas sparked intense gunbattles on October 28.

Mr. Lula described the police operation as “disastrous” and demanded independent forensics to determine what happened in Rio.