The White House’s imposition of new tariffs on Brazilian goods has been a strategic mistake on the part of the US.
According to Report, Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva made this statement in an article for *The Washington Post*. “The new tariffs are not only unfair, but also a strategic mistake. They are damaging the US economy and the partnership with Brazil. Brazil’s exports to the US have already fallen to their lowest level since 1997,” he noted.
According to the Brazilian leader, in the first half of 2026, bilateral trade with the US fell by 12.8 per cent compared with the same period in 2025. During the same period, Brazil’s trade with the European Union grew by 6.1 per cent, and with China by 15.9 per cent.
Lula da Silva believes that, in the medium term, tariffs will lead to the disruption of supply chains, and Brazilian companies will begin to replace American suppliers with partners from other countries.
The President also highlighted the discrepancy between the US’s interests, as set out in its national security strategy, and Washington’s policy towards the Western Hemisphere. It should be recalled that in mid-July, the US administration imposed 25 per cent tariffs on most goods imported from Brazil.
