US President Donald Trump said he discussed trade, tariffs and cooperation in fighting crime in a phone call with Brazilian President Lula da Silva.
“I had a very productive phone call with Brazilian President Lula. Among other things, we discussed trade, opportunities for cooperation between our countries in fighting organized crime, sanctions imposed on various Brazilian officials, tariffs and various other issues“, Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The two “Laid the Groundwork for a Very Good Dialogue and Agreement That Will Last a Long Time“. “I look forward to seeing him and talking to him soon. This new partnership will bring a lot good things“, Trump added, without specifying when the meeting might take place.
Earlier that day, the Brazilian prime minister's press office reported that Lula da Silva had expressed his desire to continue negotiations with Trump to eliminate the remaining US tariffs.
In July, Trump raised tariffs on Brazil from 10% to 50%. He explained that he did so in response to a lawsuit involving former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, calling the act “politically motivated“.
On November 20, the White House announced that Trump had signed an executive order to reduce tariffs on certain agricultural products from Brazil. On November 14, the White House issued another executive order exempting dozens of fruits, vegetables, nuts, coffee and tea, as well as beef, from the 10% universal tariffs previously imposed on imports from other countries. According to The New York Times, the Washington administration decided to do this in response to rising food prices in the US.