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Lula’s anti-Trump rhetoric heats up as he heads to Washington

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio “Lula” da Silva has redoubled his incendiary rhetoric against President Trump over the last two months. All this is happening just a few days ahead of his visit to Washington.  

Lula has once again insisted that the U.S. dollar should not be the hegemonic currency. He demands that Nicolas Maduro be tried in Venezuela, not the U.S. And he claims that Cuba and its people are “the victims of a massacre fueled by U.S. speculation.”

The leftist leader seems to be waging an ideological crusade against Trump’s version of the Monroe Doctrine, perhaps to energize his electoral campaign or gain global stature. More likely, he is just upset at the unrest caused by the arrest of Maduro, his close ally and political partner.

After a series of rhetorical disagreements between Brazil and the U.S., Trump said in September at the United Nations that he had excellent chemistry with Lula. From there, they began a new chapter in the bilateral relationship. But the chemistry did not last long. In recent weeks Lula stated that if Trump knew his Lampiao (outlaw) lineage “he wouldn’t provoke me.” 

“I’m not crazy” said Lula, jokingly. “And if I fight and win, what do I do?”

But the confrontation continued. During his recent visit to India, Lula once again criticized the U.S. and Trump’s National Security Strategy, saying “We don’t want a new Cold War. We don’t want interference in any other country; we want all countries to be treated equally.” 

Lula put Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on the same level as the capture of Maduro, who had been indicted on charges tied to international drug trafficking. “We have to respond to what happened in Venezuela, what happened in Gaza, what happened in Ukraine,” Lula said.

The Brazilian president now says the BRICS bloc — featuring Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa and other countries — does not need to create a new currency. But he has urged it to stop relying on the dollar and to use local currencies for bilateral transactions. 

China is Brazil’s largest trading partner, but Lula sees something more in the communist country. Weeks ago, Lula opened the doors to the sovereign territory of Brazil to a military hospital ship of the Chinese army, including humanitarian military exercises.

Coincidently, with the extraction of Maduro, Brazil plans to increase its defense budget from $23.5 billion in 2025 to $25.1 billion in 2026. The largest army in Latin America does not have any conflict but wants to rearm. Not a friendly sign. 

Lula carries a philosophical burden acquired from his mentor, the late Cuban dictator Fidel Castro. Perhaps that is why he has launched an attack against U.S. policy toward Cuba and maintains his defense of Cuban tyranny, the Cuban government’s 67 years in power, its record without free elections and its more than 1,000 political prisoners. 

It is clear that Lula is not a friend of the U.S., but Brazil is an economically relevant partner. In 2024, U.S. goods and services trade with Brazil totaled an estimated $127.6 billion. Both countries would have a lot to lose in a political or commercial confrontation. Trump understands this, but Lula does not. 

Whether due to the electoral context in Brazil or the myopia of his political beliefs, Lula has escalated his anti-Trump campaign. For this and other reasons, he must be seen for what he really is: an enemy of democracy, a defender of the tyrannies of Cuba and Venezuela, a persona non grata in Israel and a faithful friend of Iran, China and Russia. 

Arturo McFields is an exiled journalist, former Nicaraguan ambassador to the Organization of American States, and a former member of the Norwegian Peace Corps. He is an alumnus of the National Defense University’s Security and Defense Seminar and the Harvard Leadership course.

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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