BRAZILIAN President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva warned US President Donald Trump on Wednesday not to meddle in Brazil’s October presidential election.

This came after President Trump made his latest criticism of Brazil over judicial moves against Lula’s political rivals.

The remarks show the escalating tensions between Brazil and the US after the Trump administration proposed further tariffs against the South American country and recently classified two drug-trafficking groups as foreign terrorist organisations — moves that Lula opposes.

Lula has complained about US sanctions imposed on Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes over what the Trump administration called his politically motivated role in prosecuting Jair Bolsonaro, who was convicted of attempting a coup to try to stay in power after losing the 2022 election to Lula.

President Trump said on Wednesday that Brazil had become “dangerous politically” and that the government wanted to arrest “Bolsonaro junior,” who was “doing well in the polls.”

Brazil’s Supreme Court on Tuesday convicted one of Bolsonaro’s sons, former lawmaker Eduardo, of coercion related to his father’s coup trial and sentenced him to four years and two months in prison.

However, the reference to doing well in the polls suggested President Trump may have been talking about Bolsonaro’s eldest son Flavio, a senator who is running against Lula in the presidential election.

Flavio has not faced arrest.

Eduardo was convicted after the court found that he illegally interfered in his father’s coup trial by lobbying the US government to threaten Brazilian officials to stop the trial.

The Brazilian leader said they demonstrated that President Trump “doesn’t know Brazil well.”

Lula said President Trump “can go on liking Bolsonaro, the father, the son, the grandson. That’s not my problem, it’s his.

“But don’t interfere in Brazil’s elections, because Brazil’s elections are Brazil’s business.”