“May a president from another country never again dare to speak rudely to Brazil”, says Lula

In a speech this Saturday morning (18), President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva stated that Latin America needs to consolidate itself as an “independent continent” and reinforced that “never again should a president from another country dare to speak harshly with Brazil”. Without mentioning Donald Trump, the speech comes amid negotiations between the United States and Brazil over the tariffs applied by the North American president.

The speech was given to students at popular courses in São Bernardo do Campo (SP). “We created the Foz do Iguaçu University of Latin America. We want to form a Latin American doctrine, with a Latin American professor, with Latin American students, so that we can dream that this continent will one day be independent. Never again should a president from another country dare to speak rudely to Brazil, because we won’t accept it”, said Lula.

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Regional relations and political autonomy

The PT member also defended the strengthening of regional relations and stated that Brazil must seek political and economic autonomy. “We want a continent that respects itself, that is aware of its role and that never again needs to ask for permission to dream”, highlighted Lula.

During the event, the president announced the expansion of the National Network of Popular Courses (CPOP) for 2026, with the promise of expanding young people’s access to universities. He was accompanied by ministers Camilo Santana (Education) and Fernando Haddad (Finance).

Last Thursday (16), Chancellor Mauro Vieira met in Washington with the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, to discuss the “tariff” of up to 50% imposed on Brazilian products. The meeting, described as held in an “excellent” atmosphere, did not bring immediate solutions, but defined negotiation channels.

Lula and Trump in Malaysia

The crisis remains open, and there is still no date for a face-to-face meeting between Lula and Donald Trump to discuss the matter. However, there are expectations of a presidential meeting between the PT and the Republican in Malaysia.

Lula travels to the Asian country on Friday (24) and studies the possibility of an agenda with Donald Trump. The two presidents are confirmed at the Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) meeting, which takes place between October 26th and 28th.