WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� The Trump administration has revoked the visa of Brazil鈥檚 ambassador to the United States in retaliation for last month for two American diplomats who sought to visit ahead of as well as what it said was Brazil’s stalling on approving President Donald Trump鈥檚 nominee to be ambassador in Brasilia.
The State Department said the decision was a reciprocal response to Brazil鈥檚 actions, and officials said the step had been delayed several times to give Brazilian President Luiz In谩cio Lula da Silva room to back down, something he did not do. Officials said, however, that it could be quickly reversed if Brazil takes appropriate action and accepts Trump鈥檚 ambassadorial choice.
Brazil’s government in a statement responded by accusing the United States of not following international law in nominating its ambassador to Brazil. It said the U.S. government’s decision to revoke the Brazilian ambassador’s visa was politically driven with the aim of influencing Brazil’s election in October.
Trump has had a fractious relationship for some time with Lula’s administration, which has opposed him on numerous policies, particularly in the Western Hemisphere regarding Venezuela and Cuba. Their relationship also has been strained by Trump鈥檚 fondness for Lula鈥檚 first term successor and then predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro, who is currently under house arrest, and his son Fl谩vio, who is Lula鈥檚 main opponent in the election.
Lula has spared Trump himself from criticism and when they first met at the United Nations Assembly General in September of last year. The Brazilian leader has blamed Secretary of State Marco Rubio for some of the actions against his country.
Brazil’s ambassador is not being expelled
Despite the revocation of her visa, Brazil鈥檚 ambassador Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti is not being expelled from the United States, said one State Department official, who like several others spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive diplomatic matter. The ambassador was previously a senior United Nations official.
She could be allowed to resume her official duties if the Brazilian government accepts Trump鈥檚 choice of former Florida House speaker Danny Perez to be U.S. ambassador to Brazil. Perez was nominated to the post in June and the official said Brazil had signaled it would not act on the appointment until after the first round of Brazil’s election on Oct. 4.
Perez’ nomination was submitted to the Senate on June 1. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted on July 22 to send his nomination to the full Senate, where a vote was expected by the end of this week.
Brazil’s government said the U.S. should have asked for consent to send Perez in private, as established by the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations, before the nomination was made public. It added the U.S. government’s request to send Perez is still 鈥渦nder analysis.鈥�
for Riley Barnes, the assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labor, and one of his top aides after reports emerged that the pair were going to criticize Lula or the election process.
The State Department denied the allegations and said the two had planned to visit Brasilia on July 27-30 to meet government officials, religious leaders and others about 鈥渆lection integrity,鈥� religious freedom and freedom of expression.
It said the visit was routine and that 鈥渁ny insinuation of a 鈥榩loy鈥� to undermine a democratic nation鈥檚 election is a baseless lie.鈥�
The Brazilian government on Tuesday stood by its assessment, saying the two Americans “were planning to visit the country to cast doubts about the integrity of the Brazilian electoral system, in an unacceptable attempt to interfere in the national political process.鈥�
Last week, a top Brazilian diplomat told journalists the government was expecting a response from Rubio. The diplomat was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
The same Brazilian diplomat told the AP on Tuesday, also under condition of anonymity, that the Lula administration is trying to figure out why the U.S. government is rushing to have an ambassador in Brasilia only months before October’s election. The post in the Brazilian capital has been vacant since Trump returned to the White House in January 2025.
The Trump administration has taken other actions against Brazil
Lula, who is 80 and seeking his fourth term as Brazil’s president, will face , whose father once served as Brazil’s president and whose family has many ties with the Trump administration.
Sen. Bolsonaro and his brother, Eduardo, visited U.S. officials in Washington, including Trump, in late May. Shortly afterward, the Trump administration classified Brazil鈥檚 biggest drug-trafficking groups 鈥� 鈥� as foreign terrorist organizations, a move Lula opposes.
The Trump administration also imposed an up to on thousands of Brazilian exports, which came into force Friday. The U.S. government claims the South American nation has unfair competition practices and fails to stop forced labor practices 鈥� both accusations rejected by the Lula administration as an attempt to
Brazil’s government said Tuesday’s decision was not an isolated incident.
“It forms part of a deliberate escalation of hostile measures against Brazil, driven by ideological motives that are incompatible with a bilateral partnership that has always been guided by mutual respect,鈥� the government statement said. 鈥淭he improper intent to interfere in the forthcoming presidential election is also evident.鈥�
Jair Bolsonaro has for years about the country鈥檚 electronic voting system, without providing any evidence for his claims. He is now serving a 27-year prison sentence at home for an attempted coup. He has long insisted that the machines, used for a quarter-century, are prone to fraud.
Sen. Bolsonaro has recently repeated some of these claims, although he steered clear of those on Saturday when his Liberal Party confirmed him as a
Brazil’s government said it 鈥渉as spared no effort to resolve these differences鈥� with the U.S government.
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Savarese reported from Sao Paulo, Brazil.
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