Leftist Leaders Sidestep Conflict With Trump at Summit

Leftist leaders attending at a pro-democracy summit in Chile sought to avoid conflict with Donald Trump by steering clear of any mention of US tariffs — until Brazil’s Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva spoke to the press after the meeting.

During the high-profile gathering hosted by President Gabriel Boric on Monday, leaders including Colombia’s Gustavo Petro, Spain’s Pedro Sánchez and Uruguay’s Yamandú Orsi focused their speeches on the threat posed by online disinformation and the misuse of technology. 

Even though the event is fresh off Trump’s threat to slap 50% tariffs on Brazil and his defense of former President Jair Bolsonaro — accused of an attempted coup — the joint statement made no mention of the US leader, levies or political interference. Only when asked directly about Trump did Lula say the US should take into account the “strong diplomatic relationship” between the two countries.

“Brazil is not in a tariff war,” Lula told journalists at the end of the event. “A tariff war will start when I give my answer to Trump, if he doesn’t change his mind.”

During most of the day, the participants had stuck closely to the script of a meeting called to foment multilateralism, combating hate speech, disinformation, corruption, inequality and the concentration of power in the world.

“Today in many parts of the world, democracy is under threat,” Boric said. “That threat cannot just be reduced to military force.”

This summit had put a spotlight on leaders like Boric, who has so far evaded Trump’s threats, as well as others like Petro, who is navigating souring relations with the US. On July 16, Trump said he will send letters to over 150 countries notifying them of tariffs in the latest sign of his strategy for weaponizing trade. 

Monday’s meeting mirrors growing cooperation in other regions of the world such as the European Union, which is preparing to step up engagement with countries like Canada that have been hit by Trump’s tariffs and ultimatums. 

What Bloomberg Economics Says

“We had a very recent precedent that could repeat itself. We’re seeing objectives that are at odds with Trump and also progressive leaders that are teaming up, potentially with a statement that he can feel is also criticism of himself and his policies.”

— Jimena Zúñiga, Latin America Geoeconomics Analyst

The gathering in Chile marked the first formal, face-to-face encounter of the group following an online conference in February this year. In a joint statement, the five leaders emphasized the need to respect international law, to commit to peace and to overhaul multilateralism to make it more participative.

“We are completely aware that the world is passing through a period of profound uncertainty in which democratic values are challenged in a permanent way,” the leaders wrote in the statement.

The group’s proposals will be presented and developed further at its next meeting on the sidelines of September’s United Nations General Assembly. Spain also agreed to hold a future meeting of the participant countries.

“These are countries that are not inclined to just bow down and make concessions to Washington, given the very coercive and punitive approach that Washington is taking,” Kenneth Roberts, a Cornell University professor of government who focuses on Latin American politics, said before the meeting.

Big Gamble

The summit represented is a particularly big gamble for Boric as host, given that his government is weak and counts the US as its biggest trading partner after China. 

“There are scenarios where the United States could take economic actions, at least in the short term, which would be detrimental to Chile,” Roberts said.

Lula presided over July’s BRICS conference in Rio de Janeiro which released a declaration criticizing trade protectionism and airstrikes on Iran, both clear swipes at Trump even if it didn’t mention him or the US by name. Days later, the US president threatened aggressive tariffs on goods from Latin America’s largest economy, heavily citing political reasons.

“At a time when extremism tries to redo interventionist practices, we need to act together,” Lula said on Monday.

The event gives Boric’s team an opportunity to learn from Lula’s recent experiences.

Boric’s outgoing administration is already on alert as it awaits details on Trump’s plan to impose a 50% tariff on copper. The red metal is Chile’s top export product.

Any backlash from Trump stands to “elicit some criticism because some Chileans may say, ‘hey Boric, this just happened to Brazil, you should have been more careful,’” Zúñiga said.

With assistance from Carolina Gonzalez and Danielle Balbi.

©2025 Bloomberg L.P.

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