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RIO DE JANEIRO — <\/span>Brazilian President Luiz In\u00e1cio Lula da Silva<\/a> warned U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday not to meddle in Brazil’s October presidential election after Trump made his latest criticism of Brazil over judicial moves against Lula’s political rivals.<\/p>\n The remarks show the escalating tensions between Brazil<\/a> and the U.S. after the Trump administration proposed further tariffs<\/a> against the South American country and recently classified<\/a> two drug-trafficking groups as foreign terrorist organizations \u2014 moves that Lula opposes. <\/p>\n Lula has frequently defended Brazil’s sovereignty<\/a> since Trump imposed tariffs on the country last year citing a \u201c witch-hunt trial<\/a> \u201d against his ally, former President Jair Bolsonaro<\/a>. Lula also has complained about U.S. sanctions imposed on Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes over what the Trump administration called his politically motivated role in prosecuting Bolsonaro, who was convicted of attempting a coup to try to stay in power after losing the 2022 election to Lula. <\/p>\n Trump said Wednesday that Brazil had become \u201cdangerous politically\u201d and that the government wanted to arrest \u201cBolsonaro junior,\u201d who was \u201cdoing well in the polls.\u201d<\/p>\n Brazil’s Supreme Court on Tuesday convicted<\/a> one of Bolsonaro’s sons, former lawmaker Eduardo Bolsonaro, of coercion related to his father\u2019s coup trial and sentenced him to four years and two months in prison. <\/p>\n However the reference to doing well in the polls suggested Trump may have been talking about \u2014 or was also talking about \u2014 Bolsonaro’s eldest son, Sen. Fl\u00e1vio Bolsonaro, who is running<\/a> against Lula in the presidential election. Fl\u00e1vio Bolsonaro has not faced arrest. <\/p>\n Eduardo Bolsonaro was convicted after the court found that he illegally interfered in his father’s coup trial by lobbying the U.S. government to threaten Brazilian officials to stop the trial. <\/p>\n A journalist read out Trump\u2019s remarks to Lula during a news conference following the G7 summit<\/a> of world leaders in France’s Evian-les-Bains, which Lula attended. The Brazilian leader said they demonstrated that Trump \u201cdoesn’t know Brazil well.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf he knows Brazil through his relations with the Bolsonaro family, he doesn’t know Brazil,” Lula said. \u201cHe can go on liking Bolsonaro \u2014 the father, the son, the grandson \u2014 that\u2019s not my problem, it\u2019s his. (…) But don\u2019t interfere in Brazil\u2019s elections, because Brazil\u2019s elections are Brazil\u2019s business.\u201d<\/p>\n Eduardo and Fl\u00e1vio Bolsonaro recently visited U.S. officials in Washington, including Trump. Shortly afterwards, the Trump administration classified Brazil’s biggest drug-trafficking groups \u2014 First Command Capital and Red Command \u2014 as foreign terrorist organizations. Lula criticized that decision Wednesday, arguing that while the groups terrorize local populations they are not terrorist organizations because they seek profit rather than political change. <\/p>\n The U.S. government also had proposed a new 25% tariff on imports from Brazil, claiming the world\u2019s 10th-biggest economy engages in unreasonable trade practices. That move came despite a trip by Lula to Washington<\/a> to try to persuade Trump not to apply further tariffs. <\/p>\n Lula has expressed his grievance over that tariff, and did so again on Wednesday. \u201cI think what he did was disrespectful toward Brazil. He knows that. That\u2019s why I said he still behaves like an emperor. We were negotiating an agreement.\u201d <\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n Follow AP\u2019s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/latin-america<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n