During an interview with the *Inteligencia Ltda.* podcast, the president maintained that there is a possibility of US involvement in the Brazilian electoral process and assured that his administration would respond with information to counter fake news campaigns.

“Lies will not win in Brazil,” the leader stated, asserting that the government would debunk any false information regarding the country. “No one is going to beat Brazil by lying; we will win the narrative battle. We will expose every lie told about Brazil,” he emphasized.

However, Lula distinguished his personal relationship with US President Donald Trump from the decisions subsequently made by members of his administration.

He remembered that he handed over the US leader four documents containing proposals for bilateral cooperation in strategic areas, including combating organized crime and drug trafficking, trade, and the exploitation of rare earths and critical minerals.

He added that he never received a response to those initiatives and held Secretary of State Marco Rubio responsible for the deterioration of bilateral relations and for pushing measures contrary to the interests of Brazil and Latin America.

“They want Latin America to go back to being the United States’ backyard,” he stated.

Lula also once again criticized—without naming them—the children of former President Jair Bolsonaro, accusing them of acting against Brazilian interests on US soil and promoting actions that harm the country.

These statements come amidst rising tensions between the two countries following the Trump administration’s decision to impose new tariffs on Brazilian products—a move based on arguments disputed by authorities in the South American giant, who view the measures as a political as well as a commercial moves.

jdt/npg/mar