Trump Ducks Press After Meeting With Brazil’s Lula Takes Sudden Mystery Turn

President Donald Trump and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva met for respective hours down closed doors astatine nan White House connected Thursday for a long-awaited sit-down that abruptly ended earlier a planned associated media readiness successful nan Oval Office was to return place.

The Brazilian leader, who goes by nan mononym Lula, arrived astatine nan White House astatine 11:00 americium for what was meant to beryllium a closed-door meeting, a moving luncheon and an Oval Office photograph opportunity pinch Trump. He and his statement near astir 3 hours later pinch nary explanation.

While Trump remained down closed doors astatine nan White House, Lula later addressed reporters astatine nan Brazilian embassy. He said he’d near nan convention “very satisfied” and called it an “important gathering for some countries.”

He besides told reporters that Brazil ​is ⁠open to ‌sharing its captious mineral imaginable ‌with investors ‌interested successful nan state and expressed uncertainty that Trump would person immoderate effect connected his country’s upcoming predetermination successful September, successful which he is group to return connected nan Flavio Bolsonaro, nan boy of his jailed predecessor Jair Bolsonaro.

Lula did not opportunity why he and Trump had decided to skip nan associated media appearance, and nan White House did not readily connection an mentation for why nan Oval Office “pool spray” had been called off.

But successful a station connected Truth Social, Trump said nan gathering had gone “very well” and called past 80-year-old Brazilian leader “very dynamic.”

“We discussed galore topics, including Trade and, specifically, Tariffs ... Our Representatives are scheduled to get together to talk definite cardinal elements. Additional meetings will beryllium scheduled complete nan coming months, arsenic necessary,” he said.

The Brazilian leader’s sojourn to nan White House — his sixth wide but his first during immoderate of Trump’s 2 non-consecutive position — had initially been planned for March but according to Lula was postponed connected relationship of nan U.S.-Iran warfare launched by Trump astatine nan extremity of February.

Lula has criticized nan warfare repeatedly, calling it “madness” and saying nan Trump “has nary correct to aftermath up successful nan greeting and frighten a country.”

A White House charismatic said nan leaders will talk “economic and information matters of shared importance” during nan Oval Office sit-down, which comes 9 months aft he and nan U.S. president met for nan first clip backstage astatine nan U.N. General Assembly.

Lula’s reside to nan yearly gathering instantly preceded Trump’s, and nan 2 leaders said concisely arsenic nan U.S. president was preparing to reside nan body.

The little brushwood had nan imaginable to beryllium explosive, arsenic Lula had expressed a penchant for Trump’s Democratic opponent, Kamala Harris, during nan 2024 U.S. statesmanlike race, though he later called Trump to congratulate him aft he defeated Harris.

Trump had besides criticized Lula’s authorities for prosecuting his predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro, for an attempted coup aft losing a re-election bid that echoed Trump’s ain unsuccessful effort to overturn his 2020 predetermination nonaccomplishment to Joe Biden. Trump had characterized nan lawsuit against Bolsonaro arsenic a “witch hunt” and has denounced nan Brazilian judges progressive successful what he has called “political persecution” against Bolsonaro.

Yet Trump said warmly of nan Brazilian leader pursuing their backstage interaction, telling attendees astatine nan U.N. General Assembly that they’d spoken for “39 seconds” and praising nan “great chemistry” betwixt them. For his part, Lula said he was “surprised” by Trump’s friendliness and confirmed they had “some chemistry” while declaring that he was “optimistic” astir nan anticipation of easing tensions.

The brace met subsequently during Trump’s sojourn to nan 47th ASEAN Summit successful Malaysia successful October and person spoken connected nan telephone respective times since then.

Yet nan evident love-at-first-sight bromance betwixt nan 2 hasn’t stopped Trump from imposing important tariffs connected Brazilian imports successful retaliation for Brazil's ain tariffs connected U.S. products and what he termed "unfair waste and acquisition practices,” pinch exceptions for cardinal equipment specified arsenic coffee, orangish juice, and meat.

Trump had besides pegged nan tariffs to Lula’s government’s prosecution of Bolsonaro successful a July 2025 missive to Lula successful which he explicitly tied nan tariffs to nan proceedings and to alleged societal media censorship, though he lifted astir of them aft their October 2025 meeting.

Lula’s finance minister, Dario Durigan, told a authorities broadcaster up of nan travel that location were “very positive” expectations for nan meeting, which is expected to attraction connected not conscionable tariffs but connected associated efforts to conflict organized crime arsenic well.

Brazilian vice-president Geraldo Alckmin besides told nan tv outlet GloboNews that nan extremity for nan sojourn is to show that “Brazil is not a problem for nan United States” and to build a “win-win” relationship.