President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Monday (21) that the use of international trade as a “instrument of coercion and blackmail” is an act of “enemies of democracy” in a possible allusion to the government practices of US President Donald Trump ,.
“The internationally organized far-right offers a new Washington consensus, or rather Washington’s dissense. Unidecratic, negationist and interventionist,” Lula said in a speech in a meeting with civil society during a meeting on the defense of democracy in Chile.
“The enemies of democracy no longer resort to the diplomacy of the tanks and the cannons. They control algorithms, sow hatred and spread fear. They promote a true cultural war. They use trade as an instrument of coercion and blackmail,” he added.
Trump announced in a letter to the Brazilian government the imposition of 50% commercial tariffs on Brazil, although the country has commercial deficit with the US. In the text, Trump stated that the tariffs would be imposed, among other points, so he classified as a persecution of former President Jair Bolsonaro, sued for involvement in an attempted coup after his electoral defeat in 2022.
another theme mentioned by Trump in his letter. According to the Brazilian president, societies “will be under constant threat without regulating digital platforms and Big Techs.”
