Trump calls Brazil 'politically difficult'; Lula says he should learn about 'civilized elections'
Key takeaways
- The demand was a response to remarks Trump had made about Brazil hours earlier.
- Lula spoke at a press conference in Geneva after taking part as a guest in the G7 summit, which concluded on Wednesday in the nearby French town of vian.
- The two brothers met with Trump at the White House last month.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Brazilian President Luiz In cio Lula da Silva on Wednesday asked his US counterpart, Donald Trump, not to interfere in Brazil's elections, a matter he stressed is exclusive to Brazil, just as his country does not seek to meddle in the electoral processes of the United States. The demand was a response to remarks Trump had made about Brazil hours earlier.
Lula spoke at a press conference in Geneva after taking part as a guest in the G7 summit, which concluded on Wednesday in the nearby French town of vian. There, Trump had said Brazil is a politically difficult country that plays quite hard —though he warned that no one plays harder than the United States — and described the conviction of former deputy Eduardo Bolsonaro as unpleasant. They detained someone who is running for election; he was doing well in the polls, and they detained him for making statements in Texas, the US president said.
Trump's description appeared to confuse Eduardo Bolsonaro —convicted on Tuesday, a Texas resident who is not running for any office— with his brother, Senator Fl vio Bolsonaro, who is indeed a candidate in Brazil's October elections. The two brothers met with Trump at the White House last month. Eduardo, moreover, was not detained but convicted in absentia.