The only economic rationale mentioned in Trump’s letter, that of a deficit that his country is said to face with Brazil, is belied by the numbers. The U.S. has sustained consistent surpluses in trade with the South American nation for close to two decades now.

President advocates diplomacy and unity in a video posted by First Lady Janja on the same day he called an emergency meeting over tariff hike

U.S. tariffs will give Lula a scapegoat for his own fiscal mismanagement.

Brazil believes it can withstand Trump’s 50 percent tariff, and aides to Lula say he is unlikely to shrink from a confrontation with the White House.

A trade war looms as President da Silva refutes Trump's claims of trade imbalance and rejects demands to interfere with judicial proceedings

Lula issued a rebuke to Trump’s trade tariffs and firmly refused his demand that the case against the Brazil's former president Jair Bolsonaro be dropped.