Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has hit back at Donald Trump’s tariff threats, saying that his American counterpart was elected as the leader of the United States and “not to be the emperor of the world.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva urged President Trump to negotiate a trade agreement this week as the U.S. has pursued increasingly aggressive action over the criminal prosecution of

SAO PAULO (Reuters) -Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Thursday said that he would not take orders from a "gringo," responding to U.S. President Donald Trump's letter slapping Brazil with 50% tariffs.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva tells CNN’s Christiane Amanpour in an exclusive interview it was “a surprise” to see President Donald Trump’s letter posted to Truth Social, threatening Brazil with a crippling tariff of 50% starting August 1st.

The Trump administration launched a trade investigation against Brazil on Tuesday, just one week after blasting Brasília for its treatment of ally former President Jair Bolsonaro. The trade investigation ostensibly regards unfair trade practices.

A US trade probe suddenly ordered by President Donald Trump on Brazil sent shockwaves through President Luiz Inacio da Silva’s government, according to a senior Brazilian diplomat who described it as an unwarranted threat that has helped to plunge relations to their lowest point in over a century.

The only economic rationale mentioned in Trump’s letter, that of a deficit that his country is said to face with Brazil, is belied by the numbers. The U.S. has sustained consistent surpluses in trade with the South American nation for close to two decades now.