What specific tariffs did President Lula criticize in his Washington Post op-ed, and what consequences did he warn they would have?

President Lula criticized new U.S. tariffs on Brazil ranging 'from 12.5 percent to 37.5 percent', imposed despite 'dozens of meetings between our teams, solid technical arguments, and documents I personally handed to President Trump'. He warned these tariffs would harm the bilateral partnership, drive up costs for U.S. consumers—especially on food, footwear, textiles, furniture, and auto parts—and disrupt deeply integrated supply chains, prompting Brazilian companies to replace U.S. suppliers with partners elsewhere.

According to Lula’s op-ed, how does Brazil rank globally in terms of U.S. tariff imposition, and what key economic fact did he cite to underscore the contradiction?

Lula cited Global Trade Alert—a Switzerland-based independent organization—to state that Brazil and Turkey are now 'the second most heavily tariffed countries by the United States, behind only China', even though the U.S. has maintained a trade surplus with Brazil in goods and services totaling '$428 billion over 15 consecutive years'—a fact he presented as evidence of the tariffs’ strategic inconsistency.

Lula Calls New US Tariffs a Mistake in Washington Post Op-Ed

Jul 26, 2026

Brazilian President Lula condemned new U.S. tariffs in a Washington Post op-ed, citing risks to bilateral partnerships and supply chain disruptions. He warned that duties on food and other goods will raise consumer costs and reduce Brazilian exports.

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Lula Calls New US Tariffs a Mistake in Washington Post Op-Ed

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