Lula says he will use “word weapon” against Trump

The president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) stated this Friday (17.Jul.2026) that it will use “the weapon of the word” to respond to the President of the United States, Donald Trump (Republican Party), in the dispute involving tariffs on Brazilian products. The statement was made during a visit to the State Institute of Orthopedics and Traumatology, in Rio de Janeiro.

The statement was made after the end of the event, when Lula returned to the stage and spoke directly to the press. The president stated that the government’s strategy will be to stop a “narrative war” with the United States to defend the Brazilian position in the trade conflict.

Watch the video of Lula’s statement (1min.26s):

“You guys in the press must have found it strange that I didn’t talk about the tariff. I didn’t talk about the tariff because up until now Trump hasn’t talked about the tariff. It was his second-tier people who talked about the tariff, which my people have already responded to,” said Lula.

The president stated that he has already sent three messages to the North American leader and said that Brazil does not seek conflict with the United States. According to Lula, the dispute will be over the version of facts presented by each side.

“I have already told President Trump 3 times that Brazil has no interest in waging war. We here are for peace. The war I want to wage with him is the war of narrative, it is the war of truth. I want to prove to the world who is telling the truth in this tariff war between Brazil and the USA. We will have to learn to wage war with another weapon, which is the weapon of words”he declared.

Section 301 allows the U.S. government to investigate trade practices in other countries that it considers unfair and to take retaliatory measures. In the case of Brazil, the USA alleges, among other things, trade barriers and losses to North American companies.

The Brazilian government has sought to negotiate a tariff review. Palácio do Planalto claims that the accusations presented by the US are false and that the investigation uses political arguments to justify the measure.