In a sharp diplomatic counterpunch, the United States has revoked the visa of Brazil’s ambassador in Washington after Brazil withheld formal approval for a new US ambassador and denied visas to two American diplomats, a senior US State Department official said yesterday.
The action deepens a widening dispute between President Trump and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva—one that is already rippling into trade and turning into a prominent issue ahead of Brazil’s October presidential election.
Brazil has condemned the US decision to revoke the visa of its ambassador to Washington, Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti.
“Today’s decision is not an isolated incident. It is part of a deliberate escalation of hostile measures against Brazil, motivated by ideological reasons,” the office of President Lula da Silva said in a statement.
A US official said the decision did not mean Brazil’s ambassador was being expelled from the US, calling the move a “reciprocal action”.
The dispute has been brewing since Brazil delayed formal approval of Daniel Perez, a Florida state representative, whom Mr Trump nominated as ambassador on 1 June.
Brazil’s government rejected the US decision in a statement yesterday, saying it was based on “false” claims and arguing that its consideration of Mr Perez was proceeding in line with international diplomatic norms.
Tensions were further inflamed last month when Brazil denied visas to two officials from the State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor.
The Brazilian government has defended the decision, as they believe the officials’ planned visit sought to cast doubt on the electoral system, which it described as an “unacceptable attempt to interfere in the national political process”.
Against that backdrop, Brazil’s campaign season is tightening into an international flashpoint. Recent polls have given Mr da Silva an edge in the presidential race over Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, the eldest son of former president and Trump ally Jair Bolsonaro, who is serving a sentence under house arrest for plotting a 2022 coup.
Trump administration officials have accused Brazil’s government of censoring conservatives or tilting the scales against them in judicial proceedings. Brazil, in turn, has pushed back on what it sees as US efforts to shape Latin American politics in favor of conservatives.
Trade has also become entangled in the standoff. After Washington imposed a 25% tariff last month on several Brazilian products, citing what it described as unfair trade practices, Mr da Silva quickly accused the Bolsonaro family of helping engineer the tariffs for electoral gain, an accusation they deny.
