U.S. President Donald Trump and Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva met at the White House Thursday afternoon for a meeting that lasted more than two hours.
Although the conversation between the U.S. and Brazilian presidents was scheduled as a joint appearance before reporters, Trump and Lula met in private and the press conference was cancelled.
In a post on Truth Social published after Lula’s visit on Wednesday, Trump said that he discussed with “the very dynamic President of Brazil” topics which included “Trade and, specifically, Tariffs,” with Trump adding that the meeting “went very well.”
Lula said in a post on X Friday that combating organized crime was among the topics discussed in the meeting, describing cooperation on drug and arms trafficking as an area of mutual interest. Lula said Brazil operates a regional security base in Manaus involving South American police forces and that “if the United States wants to participate with us, they will be welcome.” He added that dismantling “financial power of organized crime and factions” was a priority and said Brazil would launch its “Brazil Against Organized Crime” plan next week.
At the Brazilian Embassy in Washington, DC following his White House visit, Lula said that Trump had told him in the meeting that there are currently no plans to invade the island of Cuba.
The visit comes amid tensions between the U.S. and Brazil, which began after Trump imposed 50 percent tariffs on Brazil in July 2025 over what the White House called “serious human rights abuses that have undermined the rule of law in Brazil.” This referred to censorship orders and criminal charges brought against the former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, which ultimately resulted in his conviction and disqualification from political office. Trump has since removed a number of those tariffs.
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