Overview
- At the White House on Thursday, both presidents called the meeting productive and said their teams will now negotiate details, with Trump highlighting tariffs as a core item.
- The session stayed private with no joint press event after Brazil asked to keep cameras out of the Oval Office until talks ended.
- The trade agenda centers on U.S. tariffs imposed in 2025—some later lifted—and a U.S. probe into Brazil’s PIX instant-payments system, which Washington says undercuts Visa and Mastercard.
- Mineral cooperation featured prominently as the U.S. seeks access to Brazil’s rare-earth reserves, while Lula insists processing should occur in Brazil to build local industry.
- Key rifts remain over a possible U.S. terrorist label for Brazilian crime groups that Brasília rejects, and both leaders face election-year pressures that favor quiet, technical bargaining over public confrontations.