Brazil's Lula Call Rubio 'Mortal Enemy' as Trade War Explodes
"This Marco Rubio doesn't like Latin America, much less Brazil. He's a frustrated Latin American," Lula told reporters, in remarks widely interpreted as a pointed reference to Rubio's heritage as the son of Cuban immigrants.
The outburst follows a dramatic deterioration in US-Brazil relations after Washington moved to threaten a sweeping 25% tariff on Brazilian imports, formally accusing Latin America's largest economy of engaging in unfair trade practices. On Monday, the Office of the US Trade Representative published a detailed indictment spanning multiple sectors — including digital trade policy, social media regulation, intellectual property enforcement, and commercial deforestation — before threatening to proceed with the punishing import levy.
The trade war blindsided diplomats on both sides, arriving just weeks after Lula and US President Donald Trump held what both administrations publicly described as a positive and constructive three-hour meeting in Washington.
The rift deepened further on Tuesday during a US Senate hearing, where Rubio offered a sweeping assessment of hemispheric geopolitics. While he celebrated what he characterized as a broad pro-Washington realignment across the Americas — attributing two decades of US "neglect" to a vacuum that China had eagerly filled — he conspicuously singled out Brazil and Colombia as outliers from the region's new democratic consensus.
"Generally speaking, the region is now filled with US allies, US-friendly leaders, and a pro-US stance," Rubio told the Senate panel, calling the shift a "significant achievement."
The exceptions, he added, are Nicaragua, Cuba, Venezuela, Colombia ("to some extent"), and "of course, Brazil, although it is in the midst of an election cycle."
Lula, currently campaigning for a historic fourth presidential term ahead of October elections, did not stop at trade grievances — he alleged that Rubio's hostile posture is being actively coordinated with Brazil's political opposition.
The accusation carries pointed electoral weight. Lula's primary rival is conservative Sen. Flavio Bolsonaro — eldest son of far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro and a close ally of the Trump administration. Just last week, Flavio Bolsonaro traveled to Washington, securing high-profile sit-downs with both Trump and Rubio — meetings that have further fueled suspicions in Brasília of American interference in Brazil's upcoming electoral contest.
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