Lula Tells Trump He Has No Right to Govern Other Countries

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has told United States President Donald Trump that he has no right to impose his will on other countries, stressing that nations must be allowed to protect their sovereignty and pursue their own interests.

Lula made the remarks in an exclusive interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour ahead of the ongoing United Nations General Assembly in New York.

The Brazilian president said Trump’s approach to international relations appeared to be based on the idea that the strongest country should dictate terms to others.

“President Trump was elected to be the US president. He has the right to govern the US, but he doesn’t have the right to govern other countries,” Lula said.

He urged the US president to pursue negotiations rather than imposing his decisions on other nations.

Lula also criticised tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on Brazilian imports, saying the measures had affected trade between the two countries.

According to the report, the United States imposed a 25 per cent tariff on certain Brazilian goods in July following an investigation by the US Trade Representative.

Washington said the tariffs were linked to issues including digital trade, electronic payments, intellectual property, ethanol market access, anti-corruption enforcement and illegal deforestation.

Lula rejected the US justification, describing the claims as “lies” and saying Brazil had responded by strengthening trade ties with other countries.

He said Brazil’s exports to the US had fallen by nine per cent, while imports from the US declined by 8.5 per cent following the tariffs.

The Brazilian leader said his government was seeking to expand trade with China, Japan, Germany and the European Union, while continuing negotiations with Washington.

“I don’t want to go to a tariff war with the US and neither with any other country,” Lula said.

Lula Raises Concerns Over Election Interference

Lula also expressed concern about possible US interference in Brazil’s elections, although he acknowledged that there was no concrete evidence.

He said there were “some clues” involving interference and artificial intelligence and referred to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s relationship with the Bolsonaro family.

“For the meanwhile, we just have suspicion. There’s nothing concrete,” he said.

Brazilian President Criticises US Role in Venezuela

Lula further criticised the Trump administration’s role in Venezuela, saying US actions had created the impression that Washington was effectively governing the South American country.

His comments followed the US military operation that resulted in the capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January and the subsequent emergence of Delcy Rodríguez as interim president.

Lula said agreements between Venezuela and the United States appeared to undermine Venezuelan sovereignty.

“The US conveys the idea that they’re governing Venezuela,” he said.

He argued that Venezuelans should be allowed to determine their political future through elections.

“If I was Delcy, the president, I would call for election, national election, so that people could choose who’s going to be the next president of the country,” Lula said.

His comments came as Trump continues to defend an expanded US role in Venezuela and the wider Western Hemisphere.