Brazil is firing back at President Donald Trump, who rebuked the country's judiciary before announcing steep tariffs over a fabricated trade deficit.
Trump slammed Brazil's judiciary, writing, "I knew and dealt with former President Jair Bolsonaro, and respected him greatly, as did most other Leaders of Countries. The way that Brazil has treated former President Bolsonaro, a Highly Respected Leader throughout the World during his term, including by the United States, is an international disgrace. This Trial should not be taking place. It is a Witch Hunt that should end IMMEDIATELY!"
He added that the United States plans to implement 50% tariffs on Brazilian goods starting Aug. 1 unless Brazilian companies agree to build or manufacture their products in the U.S.
Trump said the move is necessary to rectify a "longstanding, very unfair trade relationship between the two countries."
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said in a statement that his country would retaliate against Trump's threat.
"Brazil is a sovereign country with independent institutions that will not accept anyone's control," he said, according to Google's translation of his statement.
Lula then clapped back at Trump's remarks about Bolsonaro.
"The legal proceedings against those who planned the coup d'état are the sole jurisdiction of the Brazilian courts and, therefore, are not subject to any type of interference or threat that violates the independence of national institutions," he said. He In the context of digital platforms, Brazilian society rejects hateful content, racism, child pornography, scams, fraud, and speeches that violate human rights and democratic freedom."
Lula also swatted away any notion that the U.S. is in a trade deficit.
"The information, in the case of trade relations between Brazil and the United States, regarding the alleged US deficit is false. Statistics from the United States government itself demonstrate a surplus of approximately $410 billion in trade with Brazil over the past 15 years," he noted.
Additionally, Lula vowed that any "unilateral tariff increase" would be met with reciprocity.
"Sovereignty, respect, and the uncompromising defense of the interests of the Brazilian people are the values that guide our relationship with the world," he said.
