Analyst Fernanda Magnotta assessed, in the CNN 360ºthe meeting between Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) and Donald Trump, highlighting that the United States was responsible for defining the meeting’s agenda, while Brazil “adjusted the tone”, marked by sobriety. For her, the meeting delivered few concrete short-term results, but opened paths for future negotiations.
According to the analyst, the word that best summarizes the meeting is “sobriety”, valid for both sides. Magnotta reported having spoken to an experienced American diplomat during Lula’s press conference, who described how “boring and normal” — boring and normal. “And then he said: what an absolute victory for Brazil”, highlighted Magnotta. For her, the more protocol and measured the American demonstration in this type of government, the better the news for Brazil.
Lula manages strategic narratives
Magnotta drew attention to Lula’s narrative management throughout the meeting. On the topic of tariffs, Lula argued that Brazil does not practice abusive tariffs, while the Americans maintain the opposite. The analyst explained that the divergence depends on the sector under analysis: in the case of ethanol, Brazil charges 18% tariffs against the United States, while the general average is just 2%. “As the great Roberto Campos would say, if you sit at the stove and put your head in the freezer, on average you are fine”, he said, highlighting that averages cannot guide sectoral negotiations.
On the topic of Iran, the analyst highlighted that Lula led the conversation along the path of Brazil’s historical role, and not that of disagreement. Lula reportedly said that the agreement signed previously, under the Obama administration — Trump’s historical disaffection — was worse than the one proposed by Brazil in 2010. “It’s raising the bar for Trump, saying what Trump wants to hear,” analyzed Magnotta. Trump, according to her, keeps saying that Obama’s deal was bad and that he needs an alternative.
Limited agenda and Brazilian frustration
According to Magnotta, it was clear that Trump had a central objective, with no interest in addressing security, geopolitics or hemispheric issues. This represented a certain frustration for Brazil, which had assembled a delegation with the expectation of moving forward on issues such as drug trafficking, Cuba and Venezuela. “The United States defined the limits of what would or would not be negotiated, it was clear that Brazil had no space to expand this scope,” he stated.
On the other hand, Magnotta assessed that Brazil managed to “set the tone” by controlling the narrative at specific points. In the field of security, Lula defended a multilateral fight against drugs with a social bias and focus on inequality, signaling what he considers non-negotiable.
On the topic of , both Lula and the Minister of Mines and Energy conveyed the message that Brazil seeks to diversify partnerships. “The United States is welcome, but Brazil wants diversification, plurality of dialogue and this also includes the United States”, summarized Magnotta, adding that this means that there will be no exclusivity and that negotiations that require the exclusion of China, for example, will not be accepted.
China as “hidden subject” of the meeting
For the analyst, from the meeting. Magnotta highlighted that Lula had told Trump that Brazil did not choose China out of preference, but because the United States was uninterested in the Latin American and Brazilian agenda. “The United States does not participate in certain bids and, therefore, Brazil ended up opting for those who were interested in Brazil”, paraphrased the analyst, classifying the message as “powerful” and in line with what Trump likes to hear: that there is room for the United States, and that rapprochement with China was an objective choice, not an ideological one.
