Trump plans to bring Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to Washington for Thursday talks focused on shared economic and security issues, a White House official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the meeting has not been officially announced.
The official said the two leaders would discuss matters that span both trade and security, with the meeting framed as part of an effort by the Trump administration to engage Brazil at a high diplomatic level.
The visit comes amid a relationship between the two presidents that has moved in fits and starts since Trump returned to the White House last year. Trump and Lula have held talks and sought to improve ties, including earlier private and phone conversations, but friction has also persisted.
Trump’s approach to Brazil has included steep tariffs on Brazilian products. The Trump administration imposed a 40% tariff on Brazilian products in July, adding to a 10% tariff hike earlier, and justified the measures by citing an economic emergency linked to Brazil’s policies and to its criminal prosecution of former President Jair Bolsonaro.
As the administration pursued lower consumer costs in the United States, Trump later loosened tariffs on Brazil. The planned Thursday meeting suggests that even as tariff steps change, economic issues will remain part of the leaders’ agenda.
Trump has also pressed Brazilian authorities over the prosecution of Bolsonaro for his alleged involvement in a coup plot after Bolsonaro was accused of masterminding efforts to stay in power following his 2022 election loss to Lula. The reported charges are described as similar to what Trump faced after supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol in 2021 in an attempt to stop Democrat Joe Biden from taking office.
Diplomatic engagement between Trump and Lula has warmed at times, including around the United Nations’ General Assembly in September. That follow-up included what was described as their first private meeting in Malaysia in October and later phone conversations.
Separately, last month, Lula also stepped into a tense exchange of attacks between Pope Leo XIV and Trump connected to the war in Iran. The 80-year-old Lula is running for reelection in October, adding to the importance of the timing for his outreach with Trump.
Brazil’s O Globo newspaper first reported the planned trip by Lula, according to the White House official who disclosed the Thursday talks.