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President Donald Trump said his White House meeting with Brazilian President Luiz In\u00e1cio Lula da Silva \u201cwent very well\u201d following hours of closed-door talks that shut out reporters despite originally being scheduled as open press.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cJust concluded my meeting with Luiz In\u00e1cio Lula da Silva, the very dynamic President of Brazil,\u201d Trump posted on Truth Social afterward, adding that the two leaders discussed trade and tariffs and that additional meetings between representatives from both countries are planned in the coming months.<\/span><\/p>\n The bilateral meeting drew attention earlier in the day, after reporters waited roughly 3 hours before learning that the press would not be allowed into the session at all.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n A source familiar with the meeting told The Daily Wire the Brazilian delegation opposed press access because Lula likely would have faced tough questions about his past attacks on Trump.<\/p>\n Lula is still expected to give a news conference later at the Brazilian embassy in Washington, according <\/span>to the BBC<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Over the past two years, Trump and Lula have exchanged insults, clashed over trade and free speech, and sharply disagreed over Brazil\u2019s prosecution of former President Jair Bolsonaro. Despite those tensions, both leaders have recently attempted to stabilize relations through private outreach and softer rhetoric.<\/span><\/p>\n Encontro com o presidente dos Estados Unidos, @POTUS<\/a>, em Washington.<\/p>\n \ud83c\udfa5 @ricardostuckert<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/bfg2qqYxIg<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Lula (@LulaOficial) May 7, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n During the closed-press meeting, the two leaders were expected to discuss trade, regional security, and organized crime, with the Trump administration reportedly weighing whether to designate two of Brazil\u2019s largest drug gangs as foreign terrorist organizations.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Lula, a socialist leftist leader who openly supported Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 election, previously <\/span>accused<\/span><\/a> Trump of representing \u201cfascism and Nazism coming back with a different face\u201d and once <\/span>referred to him<\/span><\/a> as a wannabe \u201cemperor of the world.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Trump has repeatedly condemned what he called the \u201cpolitical persecution\u201d of Bolsonaro and his supporters by Brazil\u2019s Supreme Court and government.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In July, Trump signed an executive order imposing an additional 40% tariff on Brazil, declaring that the country posed an \u201cunusual and extraordinary threat\u201d to U.S. national security and foreign policy. The order specifically cited Brazil\u2019s prosecution of Bolsonaro and alleged censorship of conservatives.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Also in July, Trump took to Truth Social to accuse Brazil of \u201cdoing a terrible thing on their treatment of former President Jair Bolsonaro.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHe is not guilty of anything, except having fought for THE PEOPLE. I have gotten to know Jair Bolsonaro, and he was a strong Leader, who truly loved his Country,\u201d Trump wrote. \u201cThis is nothing more, or less, than an attack on a Political Opponent \u2014 Something I know much about!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Trump added that he would be closely watching what he called the \u201cWITCH HUNT\u201d against Bolsonaro and argued that the only real judgment should come from Brazilian voters at the ballot box.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cLEAVE BOLSONARO ALONE!\u201d Trump wrote.<\/span><\/p>\n In another post from the same day, Trump posted a letter he wrote to Lula where he defended Bolsonaro and condemned the Brazilian government\u2019s prosecution of him as a politically motivated \u201cwitch hunt\u201d and said the trial against him is \u201can international disgrace.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Bolsonaro, Lula\u2019s longtime political rival and a close ideological ally of Trump, often nicknamed the \u201cTrump of the Tropics,\u201d had close relations with the American president during his only term as president from 2019 to 2023. Bolsonaro, 71, was sentenced to 27 years in prison by Brazil\u2019s Supreme Court over allegations that he attempted to remain in power after losing the presidential election to Lula. Prosecutors also alleged Bolsonaro was aware of plans to assassinate Lula and Vice President Geraldo Alckmin.<\/span><\/p>\n Bolsonaro\u2019s supporters argue the prosecution was politically motivated and designed to prevent the right-wing leader from returning to office. He has since been placed under temporary house arrest because of health issues. The case remains deeply polarizing in Brazil and has become a major point of tension between the Trump and Lula governments.<\/span><\/p>\n The political battle is already shaping Brazil\u2019s next presidential race. An AtlasIntel\/Bloomberg poll published in March found Bolsonaro\u2019s son, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, narrowly leading Lula in a hypothetical runoff, with 47.6% support to Lula\u2019s 46.6%. Supporters of the Bolsonaro movement have argued that polling in Brazil has historically underestimated conservative support, drawing comparisons to polling misses during Trump\u2019s 2016 victory in the United States.<\/span><\/p>\n Last week, Brazil\u2019s Congress overrode Lula\u2019s veto of a law that would significantly reduce prison sentences for some coup-related convictions, a move that could potentially benefit Bolsonaro. Flavio Bolsonaro celebrated the vote on X, calling it a \u201cvery special birthday present\u201d after the override coincided with his 45th birthday. The measure could still face legal challenges before Brazil\u2019s Supreme Court.<\/span><\/p>\n In the letter, Trump also accused Brazil of undermining free speech and democratic values, specifically targeting Brazil\u2019s Supreme Court and its efforts to regulate online speech. He claimed the court had issued \u201csecret and unlawful censorship orders\u201d against American social media companies, threatening them with massive fines and even removal from the Brazilian market.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The criticism was largely aimed at Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who oversaw investigations into Jair Bolsonaro and his allies and became a central figure in Brazil\u2019s clashes with Elon Musk over censorship and online speech.<\/span><\/p>\n Trump sanctioned Moraes, with the administration characterizing his actions as politically motivated persecution and part of a broader crackdown on conservative opposition figures in Brazil. Trump later lifted the sanctions in December after the passage of a major amnesty bill by Brazil\u2019s lower house, which a senior administration official told <\/span>CBS News<\/span><\/a> was viewed by the U.S. as a sign that \u201clawfare conditions\u201d in the country were beginning to improve.<\/span><\/p>\n Despite the hostility, relations between the two leaders began to thaw in recent months. Trump later rolled back some tariffs on key Brazilian exports, and the pair softened their rhetoric after meetings on the sidelines of international summits. At the United Nations General Assembly last year, the two embraced publicly, and Trump reportedly described Lula as \u201ca very nice man.\u201d The leaders later held a private meeting in Malaysia and continued speaking by phone.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The renewed diplomatic push was reportedly aided by Brazilian billionaire Joesley Batista, one of the owners of JBS, the world\u2019s largest meat processor. <\/span>Reuters reported<\/span><\/a> that Batista helped broker the Trump-Lula meeting. A U.S.-based poultry company, majority-owned by JBS, also donated $5 million to Trump\u2019s 2025 inauguration committee, according to Reuters.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n