Trump Meets Lula Da Silva, Predicts 'Pretty Good Deals' For US, Brazil

US President Donald Trump, who is on a visit to Malaysia, met his Brazilian counterpart, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, on Sunday and expressed optimism for future US-Brazil collaborations and potential “pretty

good deals.”

“It’s a great honor to be with the President of Brazil… I think we should be able to make some pretty good deals for both countries… We always have had a good relationship — I think it will continue,” Trump said during the meeting.

In response, Lula said he was also optimistic that US-Brazil relations would advance during the meeting. “There’s no reason for having any other kind of conflict between Brazil and the United States,” Lula said through a translator.

The two leaders exchanged views ahead of their meeting on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur later in the day.

In a post on social media platform X, the Brazilian President said his meeting with Trump focused on strengthening bilateral trade ties and resolving ongoing economic disputes.

“I had a great meeting with President Trump on this Sunday afternoon in Malaysia. We discussed the bilateral trade and economic agenda in a frank and constructive manner. We agreed that our teams will meet immediately to advance in the search for solutions to the tariffs and sanctions against Brazilian authorities,” Lula da Silva tweeted.

The Brazilian President’s statement suggests that follow-up meetings between officials from both nations will begin “immediately” to identify potential resolutions.

The interaction between the US and Brazil marks one of the first high-level engagements between the two nations in recent months, signaling potential progress in reviving trade relations that have been impacted by global economic headwinds and policy disputes.

In early August, Trump raised tariffs on most Brazilian imports from 10 percent to 50 percent, linking the move to what he called a “witch hunt” against the South American country’s former President Jair Bolsonaro.

Lula da Silva has criticized the decision, calling the tariff hike a “mistake,” and noting that the US has enjoyed a $410 billion trade surplus with Brazil over the past 15 years.

The steep increase in tariffs has already begun to reshape global trade dynamics, particularly in the beef sector, where US import costs have surged. The shift has also encouraged indirect trade routes through third countries such as Mexico, even as Brazil’s exports to China continue to thrive amid rising demand.