President Donald J. Trump met with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at the White House on Thursday for a high-stakes bilateral meeting focused on trade, tariffs, and broader economic and security issues — but the encounter ended without a planned joint press appearance.
The session, which was originally scheduled to include an on-camera press availability with both U.S. and Brazilian media, concluded behind closed doors. Neither leader took questions from reporters following the meeting.
Instead, the only official readout came via President Trump’s Truth Social account, where he described the talks as positive.
“Just concluded my meeting with Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the very dynamic President of Brazil,” Trump wrote. “We discussed many topics, including Trade and, specifically, Tariffs. The meeting went very well. Our Representatives are scheduled to get together to discuss certain key elements. Additional meetings will be scheduled over the coming months, as necessary.”
Lula arrived at the White House late Thursday morning, where he was greeted on the South Lawn alongside Trump in a brief public appearance captured by official and foreign press photographers. Video of the handshake and greeting was later shared by both Brazilian officials and Trump adviser Margo Martin on X.
The meeting marked a notable moment in a relationship that has seen both cooperation and tension. Trump and Lula sit on opposite ends of the political spectrum and have clashed in the past over trade policy and regional politics.
Earlier this year, Trump imposed a 50 percent tariff on Brazilian goods, citing concerns tied in part to Brazil’s prosecution of former right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro, a prominent Trump ally.
Lula responded forcefully in September with an opinion piece in The New York Times, calling the tariffs “illogical” and warning they risked damaging economic relations between the two countries.
Despite those tensions, recent months have shown signs of limited recalibration. The two leaders previously met in Malaysia during Trump’s Asia trip last year, an encounter described at the time as “positive,” following an earlier phone call between the two. Later, Trump moved to lift tariffs on certain Brazilian agricultural exports, including coffee and beef, in an effort aimed at easing food costs for American consumers.
