▲ U.S. President Donald Trump and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has criticized U.S. President Donald Trump, saying he "acts like an emperor" and warning him not to try to dominate other nations.
Visiting New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly two weeks ahead of his presidential election, President Lula said on the 21st (local time) regarding President Trump, "He has the right to govern the United States, but he does not have the right to govern other countries."
The remarks were made during an interview with CNN International's current affairs program host Christiane Amanpour.
In the interview, he heavily criticized U.S. interference in South America, including Brazil, as well as the high tariffs imposed by the U.S. on his country.
President Lula directly targeted him, stating, "President Trump acts like an emperor. This is a style I cannot agree with," and adding, "It is the attitude that I am the strongest, I can do anything, and others must obey."
Given the diplomatic stage of multilateral diplomacy where it is customary to speak cautiously about leaders of other countries—to the extent that the expression "diplomatic language" exists—this level of criticism directed at a foreign leader is unusually high.
Such aggressive remarks by Lula toward the U.S. president are interpreted as a move to deter Trump's influence from expanding into Brazil ahead of the presidential election while simultaneously rallying his political base.
In recent elections across Latin America, right-wing factions backed by President Trump have achieved consecutive victories.
Amid this situation, President Lula publicly requested that President Trump not interfere in Brazil's elections.
He reiterated, "As I have already said, just as I do not interfere in U.S. elections, it is very important that you (the United States) do not interfere in Brazil's internal elections."
He also continued his sharp criticism regarding the situation in Venezuela.
In January, the U.S. detained former President Nicolas Maduro and brought him before a court in New York, subsequently securing massive access to oil through negotiations with the Venezuelan government.
President Lula, who has a left-wing leaning and was relatively close to former presidents Hugo Chavez and Nicolas Maduro in the past, diagnosed, "What the U.S. did to Venezuela is serious. That country's sovereignty is already over."
Along with this, he also stated his position on the struggling tariff negotiations with the United States.
He warned, "While we are still sitting across from each other at the negotiating table, there is no need to apply the reciprocity law (retaliatory measures)," but added, "However, if the negotiations do not reach a deal, we will have no choice but to apply it."
Previously, the U.S. imposed high tariffs of up to 37.5% on Brazilian products, citing unfair trade practices and labor environment issues.
(Photo: Getty Images)
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