Lula and Trump Speak Back to Back at the UN Today: What the US-Brazil Rift Means for Expats
BRAZIL · UNITED STATES · DIPLOMACY
Key Facts
- —The day The UN General Assembly opens its general debate in New York today, 22 September 2026. Lula speaks first among the world’s leaders, by a Brazilian tradition kept since 1955; Trump follows roughly fifteen minutes later.
- —The message Lula has said he will warn Trump not to interfere in Brazil’s 4 October election — twelve days before the first round.
- —The meeting that is not No Lula–Trump bilateral is scheduled, Brazil’s Foreign Ministry says. The two presidents are expected to cross paths only at the opening session and the leaders’ reception.
- —The backdrop US tariffs on Brazilian goods were raised to 50 percent in 2025, a step Trump linked to the Bolsonaro prosecution; much of that was rolled back after the December 2025 thaw, and the remaining lines are still being negotiated.
- —Also today Peru’s Fujimori and Chile’s Kast address the hall this morning; Reuters reports Trump will hold a pull-aside with Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodríguez at the reception.
- —For expats Nothing changes on paper today. The practical channels to watch are the tariff track, consular services and the real — which on Monday posted its strongest fixing since 11 September.
The two presidents whose countries are arguing loudest this year speak back to back this morning, and no meeting between them is planned. Lula opens the UN’s general debate with a warning about Brazil’s election; Trump follows with his own agenda. For expats in Brazil, the day matters less for what is said than for what it sets up: the tariff talks, the consular mood, and the market’s read on the vote twelve days away.
What Happens Today
The general debate of the 81st session opens at UN headquarters this morning, New York time, and runs to Saturday, resuming Monday 28 September. Secretary-General António Guterres and the Assembly’s president speak first. Then come the member states, in the order the UN published: Brazil first, the United States second, followed by Jordan, Türkiye, Kyrgyzstan, Qatar and Lithuania. Peru’s Keiko Fujimori and Chile’s José Antonio Kast also speak in today’s morning session, as do France’s Macron and Finland’s Stubb.
Brazil’s first slot is protocol, not politics: a Brazilian president has opened the general debate since 1955. What makes this year’s pairing unusual is the temperature between the first two speakers. Lula told supporters before travelling that he would use the podium to warn Trump against interfering in Brazil’s 4 October election. The speech had not been delivered at the time of writing; its content is not yet known.
Why the Two Are at Odds
The friction has three strands, all documented. First, trade: the United States raised tariffs on many Brazilian goods to 50 percent in 2025, a measure Trump linked to the prosecution of former president Jair Bolsonaro; much of it was rolled back after the two presidents spoke and relations thawed last December, and the remaining lines are still being negotiated. Second, the judiciary: Washington sanctioned Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes under the Magnitsky Act in July 2025 and lifted the measure that December; the court wars have revived regardless — a video published at the weekend, reported by our desk, now challenges Moraes’ earlier statement about his travel. Third, the election itself: Flávio Bolsonaro, the former president’s son, is the right’s leading candidate, and polling is genuinely mixed — Veritá puts him ahead in both rounds, while other pollsters show Lula leading the first round with runoff simulations statistically tied.
On Monday the choreography added a local note: Lula met New York’s mayor Zohran Mamdani, and Trump met Mamdani separately, before the mayor’s city hosts both presidents today. Trump also met France’s Macron on Monday afternoon.
The Venezuela Sideshow That Is Not a Sideshow
Reuters reports that Trump will hold a pull-aside meeting with Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuela’s interim president, at today’s leaders’ reception. It would be the first in-person encounter between the two governments’ leaders since Washington removed Nicolás Maduro in January. The report describes a reception conversation, not a formal bilateral; its outcome is not known at the time of writing. For the region, it signals a thaw at the top level — and for investors, the same caveat applies as always in Venezuela: access is not stability.
What It Means for Expats in Brazil
The honest answer: today changes nothing you can act on. No visa rule, tariff schedule or currency measure moves because of a General Assembly speech. What the day does is frame the next twelve weeks. Three channels are worth watching calmly:
Money. The real goes into UN week firm: Monday’s PTAX fixed at 5.1111 / 5.1117, its strongest since 11 September, so US$1,000 currently converts to R$5,111.70. Speeches can move the mood; the election moves the trend. If you convert on a schedule, there is no verified reason to change it today.
Travel and consular services. US–Brazil friction has so far left ordinary consular processing — visas, passports, notarials — functioning. No advisory has been issued in either direction this week. The tariff fight targets goods, not residents.
The vote. Brazil’s first round is Sunday 4 October, with a runoff on 25 October if no one takes a majority of valid votes. Campaign noise peaks this week — that is normal in the final stretch, not a sign of instability.
What Is Not Yet Known
The content of both speeches was not public at the time of writing. Whether Lula and Trump exchange words at the reception is unconfirmed; Brazil’s Foreign Ministry says no bilateral is scheduled. The Rodríguez pull-aside is a Reuters report, not a White House announcement. And no new tariff measure has been published in either direction.
Will the UN speeches affect my visa or residency in Brazil?
No. Speeches at the General Assembly set tone, not rules. Brazilian visa and residency frameworks are unchanged, and no measure affecting foreign residents has been announced alongside today’s debate. The standing item that does carry a deadline is Colombia’s Resolución 9316 visa transfer, due by 31 October — a different country and a different track.
Should I move money before or after the speeches?
There is no verified basis for timing conversions around speeches. The real’s Monday fixing of 5.1111 / 5.1117 was its strongest since 11 September; what drives the currency from here is the election and the rate outlook, not podium rhetoric. If you convert on a regular schedule, keep it. A forecast either way would be speculation, and we do not publish speculation as guidance.
Is it safe to be in Brazil during the election period?
Brazil’s campaign is loud and litigious — a frozen Senate campaign in Paraná, court bids and daily poll headlines — but institutions are functioning and no general safety advisory applies. Normal big-city precautions remain the whole answer. The 4 October vote is administered by an electoral court with four decades of uninterrupted elections behind it.
Sources
- United Nations — general debate schedule and speaker order, 81st session, 22 September 2026
- Reuters — Lula–Mamdani meeting, 21 September 2026; Trump–Rodríguez pull-aside report
- Valor International — no Lula–Trump bilateral scheduled, citing Brazil’s Foreign Ministry, 17 September 2026
- Banco Central do Brasil — PTAX fixings via the Olinda API, September 2026
- The Rio Times desk reporting on the US–Brazil tariff dispute and the 2026 election, May–September 2026
More: Brazil news in English, every day from The Rio Times. See also our daily guide for Tuesday 22 September.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error
In depth
Read More from The Rio Times
Rotate for Best Experience
This report is optimized for landscape viewing. Rotate your phone for the full experience.
You've reached your free article limit
Subscribe to The Rio Times for unlimited access to expert analysis, market intelligence, and daily briefings on Latin America.