US President Donald Trump said that the United States and Brazil expect to strengthen their trade ties.
He described his October 6 conversation with Brazilian leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva as “wonderful“ during a meeting with reporters at the White House and described his interlocutor as “a good man“. “We're going to start doing business“, Trump added.
The American president answered affirmatively when asked if he expected to visit Brazil, explaining that this could happen “at some point“. “He'll come here too“, Trump emphasized. Earlier on the social media platform TruthSocial, he noted that he had discussed bilateral trade issues with the Brazilian leader by phone and intended to meet with him soon.
According to the Brazilian government's press service, in a 30-minute conversation with Trump, Lula da Silva “called for the elimination of the 40 percent surcharge on Brazilian goods and the restrictive measures applied to Brazilian employees“. The statement added that “the presidents agreed to meet in person in the near future“.
The United States imposed tariffs on Brazilian goods in early August. Washington imposes tariffs of up to 50% on a number of Brazilian imports, mainly coffee and meat products.