Washington Post: Lula says Trump already knows he is “better” than Bolsonaro

Despite ideological differences, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva wants more strategic proximity with the President of the United States, Donald Trump. This is the feeling conveyed in Lula’s interview with the American newspaper The Washington Post, published this Sunday morning (17).

The conversation with the American outlet took place after Lula’s visit to the White House, on May 7, when the Brazilian president met with Trump in the midst of a process of diplomatic rapprochement between the two countries.

According to the Brazilian president, political differences should not interfere in the institutional relationship between the countries. Lula stated that he wants to guarantee respect for Brazilian sovereignty, avoid new tariffs and sanctions and expand American investments in Brazil. “If I can make Trump laugh, I can do other things too. You can’t just give up,” he told the newspaper.

The interview took place after a period of tension between Brasília and Washington. Last year, Trump announced tariffs on Brazilian exports and sanctions against the country’s authorities amid investigations involving former president Jair Bolsonaro. Lula, at the time, classified the measures as an affront to national sovereignty.

To the Post, Lula said that he does not intend to interfere in the relationship between Trump and Bolsonaro, but stated that the American president already knows that he is “better” than the former Brazilian president. “I don’t need to make an effort for him to know that I’m better than Bolsonaro. He already knows that,” he said.

The publication also highlights the Brazilian political context and treats the 2026 election as Lula’s likely last presidential contest. According to the American outlet, the PT member will seek a fourth term in a tight race against Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former president Jair Bolsonaro.

Lula told the newspaper that he seeks to present himself as a leader capable of dialoguing with the global right without giving up his political positions. According to him, democracies need to deliver concrete results to avoid strengthening “any idiot who speaks against the (democratic) system”.

USA, China, Venezuela and Cuba

The economic relationship between Brazil, the United States and China also appeared in the interview. Lula stated that Brazilian trade with China is now twice as high as with the US and that this is not a movement of preference, but a result of a lack of US interest in the country. “If the United States wants to return to the front of the line, great. But they need to want that,” he told the newspaper.

In addition to the relationship with Trump and the Brazilian electoral scenario, Lula commented on international issues such as Venezuela, Cuba, Iran and multilateralism.

The president claimed to have advised Nicolás Maduro to hold internationally monitored elections in Venezuela, but said the Venezuelan leader deepened suspicions about the electoral process by ignoring the recommendation.

Lula also called on Trump to lift the economic embargo against Cuba and criticized what he called the United States’ excessively confrontational stance in international conflicts, including tensions involving Iran.

According to the president, Brazil will continue to defend diplomatic dialogue and try to act as a mediator in international conflicts, despite the difficulties faced in recent negotiations involving Venezuela and Ukraine.