UNITED NATIONS — President Trump and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will meet next week to attempt to patch up relations as the U.S. imposes high tariffs on Brazilian goods due to its prosecution of former leader and Trump ally Jair Bolsonaro.
Mr. Trump announced the meeting during his address to the General Assembly on Tuesday, after a chance encounter with Lula in the hallway.
Lula had just completed a speech in which he defended the case against Mr. Bolsonaro and his country’s right to impose regulations on certain online speech.
Mr. Trump responded by defending his right to impose high levies on nations that put up trade barriers against American-made products.
“We are hitting them back, and we are hitting them back very hard,” Mr. Trump told global leaders. “As president, I will always defend our national sovereignty.”
Mr. Trump recently imposed a 50% levy on Brazilian goods that enter U.S. markets.
He partly cited the country’s prosecution of Mr. Bolsonaro, known as the “Trump of the Tropics,” and regulations on online speech that Brazil described as a protective measure for children.
Lula has said the U.S. tariffs are unjustified, though he remains open to negotiation. Their meeting next week will give them a chance to cut a deal on trade.
“I saw him, he saw me, and we embraced,” Mr. Trump said in New York. “We actually agreed that we would meet next week.”
Mr. Trump’s bold trade agenda loomed over the annual U.N. gathering in Manhattan.
During his speech, Mr. Trump boasted that he’s landed “one historic trade deal after another” with countries such as Britain, Indonesia and Japan.
He’s also ruffled feathers by imposing a sweeping 10% tariff, or a tax on foreign goods brought into U.S. markets, on all imports.
More recently, the White House finalized tariffs from 15% to 41% on dozens of countries, raising levies to their highest levels in more than a century.
Mr. Trump says tariffs generate massive revenue for the U.S. Treasury and give him leverage in forging multiple peace deals.
The rates are subject to change through negotiation, and the Supreme Court will consider a case this fall that alleges Mr. Trump is overstepping his powers in imposing nation-by-nation tariffs.
For now, India faces a 50% tariff as punishment for its purchases of Russian oil during Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, while Brazilian goods face the same rate over its domestic actions.
Lula, before the General Assembly, said Mr. Bolsonaro was investigated and “held accountable for his actions in a meticulous process.”
He also said Brazil wants to protect children when they use the internet — a response to Mr. Trump’s claim that it’s cracking down on speech with online regulations.
Lula condemned attempts to meddle in Brazil’s affairs.
“Our sovereignty and our democracy are nonnegotiable,” he said. “The aggression against the independence of the judiciary branch of power is unacceptable.”
Mr. Trump defended his stance during his turn at the lectern, which featured a mix of nice and tough talk about Lula.
“He seemed like a very nice man, actually,” he said.
Moments later, he said that Brazil is “doing poorly and will continue to do poorly.”
Mr. Trump was less nuanced about Javier Milei, the conservative leader of Argentina. Mr. Milei is trying to fight years of inflation under left-wing governments by cutting government spending and bureaucracy.
Mr. Trump offered his full endorsement to Mr. Milei for reelection. The U.S. Treasury on Monday offered currency swaps and financial aid from its exchange stabilization fund to prop up Argentina’s wobbly economy.
“We’re gonna help them, but I don’t think they need a bailout,” Mr. Trump said during a U.N. meeting with Mr. Milei. “He’s doing a fantastic job.”
