Brazil's Lula says he was as surprised as Trump with their `chemistry' despite bad relations

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UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Brazil’s president said Wednesday he was as surprised as U.S. President Donald Trump when they met by chance and “there was some chemistry,” given the deteriorating relations between the two largest economies in the Americas.

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva told a news conference that their first-ever encounter made him “very happy” and “optimistic” about the possibility of Brazil and the U.S. holding a meeting as soon as possible and doing away with the “bad feeling” in Brazil-U.S. relations.

The Trump administration has slapped sanctions on judges and others and imposed 50% tariffs on many of Brazil’s exports to the United States over the arrest and conviction of the president’s ally, former President Jair Bolsonaro, who was sentenced this month to 27 years in prison for attempting a coup in the South American nation.

Trump and Lula ran into each other as the Brazilian leader was walking out after delivering his speech to the annual gathering of world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday and the U.S. president was walking in and about to step to the podium.

“I saw him, he saw me, and we embraced,” Trump said in his speech to the leaders. “We didn’t have much time to talk, like about 20 seconds. … We had a good talk, and we agreed to meet next week.”

Lula “seemed like a very nice man,” and “I liked him,” the U.S. president said. “We had excellent chemistry. It’s a good sign.”

Trump conceded he had “a little problem” telling the assembly after meeting Lula that Brazil faces major tariffs for reportedly engaging in “censorship, repression, weaponization, judicial corruption, and targeting of political critics in the United States” — and imposing unfair tariffs on the United States.

Lula said he was going to get his papers after delivering his speech when Trump appeared, “looking very friendly, very pleasant, and I think that indeed there was some chemistry there.”

He said he told Trump there are many issues and “Let’s bring everything to the table.” A lot of investments are at stake, trade is very important, and the two countries have a 200-year history of diplomatic relations, the Brazilian said.

But Lula said what cannot be discussed is Brazil’s sovereignty and democracy and the work of its judges and judicial system.

The Brazilian president said the leaders he respects most are those elected by the people, regardless of ideology.

Lula said he turns 80 years old in October and Trump’s 80th birthday is in June 2026, and there is no reason for them to play games.

“I’m going to treat him with the respect that he deserves as the president of the U.S.,” Lula said, “and he’s going to treat me with the respect that the president of the Federal Republic of Brazil deserves.”

Lula said he believes Trump has been receiving incorrect information about Brazil -- including that the United States has a trade deficit with his country when the U.S. has had a $410 billion surplus in the last 15 years.

“I don’t know how many politicians in the world actually believe in human relations as I do, but everything can be sorted out when two people talk,” Lula said. “So, I want him to know what is true really about Brazil.”

He said he has always negotiated, and for both sides it needs to be “a win-win agreement.”

Trump told the assembly that “Brazil is doing poorly” and “they can only do well when they're working with us.”

“Without us,” he said, “they will fail just as others have failed.”