President Donald Trump declared Brazil cannot succeed without working alongside his administration, even as he struck a surprisingly warm tone in a brief encounter with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva before taking the stage at the United Nations on Tuesday.
"Brazil is doing poorly and will continue to do poorly," Trump told the United Nations General Assembly. "They can only do well when they're working with us."
"Without us, they will fail just as others have failed. It's true."
Trump hailed his sweeping new tariffs on Brazil, blasting its government for censorship, repression, judicial corruption, and unfair trade practices. He tied those actions to what he called a broader assault on American sovereignty under prior administrations.
"Brazil now faces major tariffs in response to its unprecedented efforts to interfere in the rights and freedoms of our American citizens," Trump said.
The warning came moments after Trump recounted an unexpected meeting with Lula in the corridors of the U.N.
"I have a little problem saying this, because I must tell you, I was walking in and the leader of Brazil was walking out," he said. "We saw him and I saw him. He saw me, and we embraced.
"But we actually agreed that we would meet next week."
Trump emphasized that his personal rapport with world leaders often translates into policy breakthroughs. But he made clear that friendship would not soften his stance on protecting U.S. sovereignty.
"But he seemed like a very nice man – actually, he liked me, I liked him," Trump said, adding "I only do business with people I like."
"When I don't like them, I don't like them.
"At least for about 39 seconds we had excellent chemistry. It's a good sign."
Perhaps next week's meeting can thaw relations with the far-left Brazilian leader.
"Brazil has unfairly tariffed our nation in the past, but now we are hitting them back very hard," he said.
Trump framed the confrontation as part of his broader push to use tariffs as a tool of national defense, both economic and strategic.
"We're defending our sovereignty and our security throughout the world," Trump said, vowing never to allow foreign powers to exploit America as he accused the Biden administration of doing.
At the same time, Trump extended an olive branch, suggesting Brazil could benefit immensely from stronger cooperation with Washington.
"If Brazil works with us, they will thrive; if not, they won't," Trump concluded.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.