Lula ‘returns’ Trump’s letter after Itamaraty checks veracity with US embassy

The Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva government warned on Wednesday, the 9th, that returning the letter through which US President Donald Trump has reported the unilateral imposition of 50% tariffs on imported products from Brazil.

Tonight, business officer Gabriel Escobar, head of the US embassy in Brasilia, was called for the second time on the day to attend Itamaraty. He has been the main authority of the US government in the country since January, when former watershed Elisabeth Bagley returned to the US. Trump never indicated his new representative.

Ambassador Maria Luisa Escorel, secretary of Europe and North America, reported to Escobar that the president would not receive the letter, informally released by Trump on the Truth Social network.

The diplomat wanted to know about the person in charge if the letter was authentic, and the person in charge confirmed that yes, they report sources familiar with the conversation. This occurred by the method considered “little orthodox” in diplomacy to publish the document before it reached the recipient

Escorel stated that the letter was “offensive” and pointed out that there were “untrue statements” about the country and “factual errors” about bilateral business relationship. Trump cited a balance deficit when the US actually has surplus with Brazil.