Poll: Lula’s popularity soars amid Trump’s tariff fight

For the first time in nine months, favor of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva surpassed disapproval, according to a poll released Thursday amid escalating tensions with Washington.

U.S. President Donald Trump declared earlier in July that he would impose 50% tariffs on Brazilian goods in an effort to combat what he has described as a “witch hunt” against former President Jair Bolsonaro, Lula’s right-wing opponent.

Thursday saw the formalization of those tariffs, while there were several significant sector exemptions. On charges of coup planning, the judge presiding over Bolsonaro’s trial has also been subject to penalties and travel restrictions from the Trump administration.

Trump is viewed as an undesirable “emperor” by Lula’s administration, which has retaliated by labeling the penalties “unacceptable.”

50.2% of respondents approved Lula’s performance, up from 49.7% in the last survey conducted two weeks ago. This is the first time since October that he has received more approval than criticism. The poll was conducted by AtlasIntel/Bloomberg.

Trump’s strategies may be backfiring in Brazil, motivating the populace to embrace a defiant leftist administration, according to the new survey.

Although the percentage of respondents who think Lula’s government is good or wonderful has increased from 43.4% to 46.6%, it is still less than the 48.2% who think it is horrible or awful.

Of those polled, 47.8% would vote for Lula and 44.2% for Bolsonaro in a rerun of Brazil’s 2022 presidential election this week.

Bolsonaro maintains that he may compete for reelection even though he is prohibited from holding public office until 2030, and Lula has made hints about his potential reelection campaign.

7,334 Brazilian people participated in the online survey, which was conducted from July 25 to July 28. The poll’s margin of error is one percentage point, plus or minus.