Trump and Lula Discuss Tariffs in High-Stakes White House Meeting

In a post on Truth Social following the meeting, Trump said that the two leaders discussed trade and tariffs.

He further stated that officials from both sides will soon hold discussions on key aspects of the bilateral agenda, adding that further meetings are expected to take place in the coming months as needed.

"Just concluded my meeting with Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the very dynamic President of Brazil. 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," Trump stated in his post.

According to the Brazilian government, the two Presidents met for around 30 minutes in the Oval Office, followed by an expanded lunch in the Cabinet Room.

The Brazilian delegation accompanying Lula included Minister of Foreign Affairs Mauro Vieira, Minister of Finance Dario Durigan, Minister of Justice and Public Security Wellington Cesar Lima, Minister of Development, Industry, Trade and Services Marcio Elias Rosa, Minister of Mines and Energy Alexandre Silveira, and Director of Brazil's Federal Police Andrei Rodrigues.

This marks Lula's eighth visit to the White House, which comes during a time when the ties between the two countries have witnessed a rough patch recently.

Last summer, Trump imposed a 50 per cent tariff on Brazilian goods.

Lula had been vocal against Trump's tariffs, which had caused global economic uncertainty. The slump between the two leaders can also be attributed to the legal proceedings against former President Jair Bolsonaro, a Trump ally, over his role in an attempted coup plot after losing the 2022 elections to Lula.

Meanwhile, in February, the US Supreme Court ruled against Trump's signature trade policy, noting that the US President lacked authority under the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose sweeping import duties on goods from nearly all US trading partners.

In its verdict, the US Supreme Court held that the IEEPA does not grant the President the authority to levy tariffs.

The Bench of Nine Justices ruled 6-3, with Chief Justice John Roberts authoring the majority opinion. Justices Brett Kavanaugh, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented.

- ANI