US President Donald Trump on Thursday said he was not worried about Brazil, Mexico and other Latin American nations moving closer to China, telling reporters in the Oval Office, “They can do whatever they want.”
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The remarks came during a brief exchange at the White House. Trump added: “You know, none of them are doing very well, and what we’re doing in terms of economics, we’re blowing everyone away, including China. We’re doing better than any other country in the world right now.”
Trump’s comments came as Brazil steps up coordination with Beijing to mount a multilateral response to the tariffs he imposed last month.
On Tuesday, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva spoke for about an hour by phone with Chinese leader Xi Jinping to discuss the “Brics bloc’s role in countering unilateral trade measures”.
The call was arranged after Washington announced a 50 per cent tariff on a wide range of Brazilian exports in late July, threatening billions of dollars in trade.
Trump has linked the tariffs to Brazil’s political crisis, citing the criminal prosecution of former president Jair Bolsonaro on charges of plotting to overturn the 2022 election.
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