The tension that defined the crossing Trump Lula G7 in Évian-les-Bains it could not be extinguished even with the air conditioning of the Royal Hotel. Donald Trump and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva staged a public confrontation that transcended French borders and exposed an uncomfortable reality to world leaders: the bilateral relationship is going through its most tense moment in years.
Todo estalló después de que el Supremo Tribunal Federal de Brasil condenara, por unanimidad, a Eduardo Bolsonaro a cuatro años y dos meses de prisión. El hijo del ex presidente Jair Bolsonaro fue declarado culpable de coacción a la justicia por haber gestionado desde Texas —donde reside desde febrero de 2025— la imposición de sanciones contra jueces brasileños y el incentivo de aranceles punitivos para entorpecer el proceso judicial contra su padre.
Trump learned the news “after” his meeting with Lula, as he admitted to the press. But something was not closed in his version. The American president began to talk about an “arrest” and mentioned that the convicted man “was doing well in the polls.” El problema: estaba confundiendo a Eduardo Bolsonaro con su hermano, el senador Flávio Bolsonaro, quien sí compite en las elecciones presidenciales previstas para el 4 de octubre.
“Brazil has become a little turbulent, a little dangerous politically,” Trump declared during the summit, without hiding his annoyance.
Trump Lula G7: the president's response to Trump's statements
At the end of the day, Lula responded to the statements with a calmness that did not hide his irritation. “Trump knows little about Brazil,” he said to the journalists surrounding him in the G7 press room. He added: “America could learn about holding peaceful elections.”
The Brazilian president was direct: his counterpart has the right to his electoral preferences, but he should not “interfere in Brazil's elections, because Brazil's elections are Brazil's business.” Con una ironía que arrancó sonrisas entre los asistentes, Lula anunció que la próxima vez llevaría una urna electrónica para mostrarle a Trump cómo funciona el sistema de votación brasileño.
Behind the public crossing, there is a judicial file that does not give up. El magistrado Alexandre de Moraes, instructor del caso, exhibió durante la audiencia videos y declaraciones del propio Eduardo Bolsonaro describiendo sus gestiones ante la administración Trump. “Las amenazas se concretaron mediante sanciones contra magistrados de esta Corte, contra el procurador general de la República y contra Brasil, a través de aranceles”, afirmó De Moraes con contundencia.
Judicial tension: fine and disqualification of Eduardo Bolsonaro
Además de la pena de prisión en régimen semiabierto, la Corte le impuso a Eduardo Bolsonaro una multa equivalente a unos 31.700 dólares y una inhabilitación política de ocho años. A ruling that marks a turning point in the judicial offensive against Bolsonarism.
The confrontation in Évian: tariffs and judicial tension
The tension is not limited to the judicial field. On the eve of the G7, Washington proposed new 25% tariffs on Brazilian imports, alleging unfair trade practices. In addition, he designated the First Capital Command and the Vermelho Command as foreign terrorist organizations, a classification that Lula flatly rejected, maintaining that these groups seek profit, not political change.
El presidente brasileño no ahorró adjetivos: calificó la conducta de Trump de “irrespetuosa” y lo acusó de comportarse “como un emperador”.
In Brasilia, the escalation is also interpreted in an electoral key. Pressure from Washington benefits Flávio Bolsonaro and complicates the government's strategy in the face of public opinion that votes in October.
The bilateral crossing conditions the relationship between Brazil and the United States
The clash in Évian reveals a reality that can no longer be ignored: the relationship between Brazil and the United States is conditioned, increasingly openly, by the internal Brazilian political dispute. While Lula tries to shield his country's judicial sovereignty from external pressures, Trump consolidates his role of international support for Bolsonarism.
An equation that will hardly be resolved before the October elections.
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