Brazil's leftist president is a master of political sleight of hand. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, known as "Lula," has been imprisoned twice and elected president three times. He is now seeking a fourth term.

He is a friend of Vladimir Putin, a disciple of Fidel Castro and an associate of the late Hugo Chávez. He knows the ropes of power and how to manipulate them in his favor.

For him, President Trump’s recent threatened tariffs — made as part of a demand to drop the prosecution of former President Jair Bolsonaro, a Trump friend and ally — aren’t a problem, they’re a blessing in disguise.

Bolsonaro is on trial for his alleged role in riots at government buildings after Lula defeated him in 2022. And now Trump's intervention is helping Lula politically.

“Brazil belongs to Brazilians ... We are a big and sovereign nation” says the presidential X account. Brazil’s economic crisis and Lula’s unpopularity seem to be fading away while the nationalist carnival grows strident and the leftist leader campaigns, enraged and excited, in the name of sovereignty.

Lula knows........

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