Marco Rubio accuses Lula of putting “ego” above tariff agreement

According to Rubio, the measure is a direct response to the Brazilian government’s stance during bilateral negotiations.

On social media, Rubio stated that American President Donald Trump instructed the Office of the Trade Representative (USTR) to apply the tariffs because “President Lula and his government did not negotiate with the US in good faith.”

“Today, President Trump instructed the USTR to impose a 25% tariff on most Brazilian imports. Let there be no confusion as to why: President Lula and his government did not negotiate with the US in good faith,” said the secretary.

“His economic policies are bad for Americans and bad for Brazilians. Over the last year, Lula has put his own ego ahead of reaching a deal for the well-being of the Brazilian people, and these tariffs are the price for that,” he added.

In a statement, the Brazilian government stated that the measure is a “regrettable milestone” in relations between the two countries and promised to apply the Reciprocity Law.

“Brazil does not recognize the legitimacy of investigations without support from multilateral trade rules. Despite this, we never leave the negotiation table to defend national interests”, reinforced Planalto.

The formalization of tariffs provides for exceptions that cover products such as meat and orange juice. The 25% surcharge will come into effect on July 22.