Brazil’s Lula blasts Bolsonaro for requesting US tariff delay

BRASILIA: Brazil’s leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Thursday lashed out at his right-wing rival Flavio Bolsonaro for looking to postpone potential US tariff hikes until after the South American country’s elections.

Polls are projecting a tight race between leftist Lula and Bolsonaro – the son of former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro – in the October presidential ballot.

US tariffs have become a key issue throughout the campaign, with US President Donald Trump’s administration proposing 25% tariffs on some Brazilian goods.

In a document sent to the US Trade Representative on Wednesday, Bolsonaro suggested “postponing implementation until after the October vote”.

The delay would prevent the rate hike from being interpreted “as an attempt to influence the outcome” of the elections, he said.

Lula blasted the request in a post on X.

“Asking that the brutal rate hike against our country be postponed until after the elections is yet another act of treason against the homeland,” he said.

Trump will decide by July 15 whether to impose the measure, which Lula accuses Bolsonaro of pushing by allegedly lobbying the White House.

The right-wing presidential candidate denies the accusations and last week stated that he had requested to testify at a hearing to prevent the introduction of the tariffs.

Trump maintains close relations with right-wing leaders across Latin America, including Bolsonaro senior, who was convicted of plotting a coup in 2022.