The Secretary of the Treasury of the United States, Scott Bessent, participated this Tuesday (10) in a conference promoted by the bank BTG Pactual, in São Paulo, where he stated that the relationship between President Donald Trump and the President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), “is in the right tone” after a “troubled” beginning. The statements were made via video during the so-called “CEO Conference Brasil 2026”.
“I think that, after a turbulent start, President Trump and President Lula have established a good relationship. And, therefore, I consider what is happening in Latin America to be extremely exciting,” said Bessent. According to the American secretary, the Brazilian government has demonstrated “good will” in its relationship with Washington.
“We noticed a lot of goodwill on the part of the Brazilian government. It’s curious because President Lula has a tradition of maintaining good relationships with Republican presidents in the United States,” he said. “I think we are now on the right tone with President Trump,” he said.
The secretary stated that he believes that, in the coming months, there will be a delegation of Brazilian businesspeople and government representatives visiting Trump in the USA, possibly with the participation of Lula. “I think this could be remarkable,” Bessent said.
The possibility of the visit had already been mentioned by Lula himself at the end of January. In a press conference upon his arrival in Panama, on the 27th of that month, the Brazilian president stated that he intended to travel to Washington in early March to meet with Trump.
The BTG Pactual event in São Paulo brought together executives and authorities to discuss the international economic and political scenario. Bessent is considered one of Trump’s closest allies.
At the same conference, the American secretary also addressed United States foreign policy towards China, stating that Washington is not seeking a break with the Chinese regime, but rather the “reduction of strategic risks”, according to information released by the agency Reuters.
