Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said in a Tuesday interview that he’s not afraid to criticize President Trump publicly — even if that means no deal can be reached to stave off the 50-percent tariff on Brazilian imports that Trump announced earlier this month and moved to put into action on Wednesday.

Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s defiant response to Donald Trump’s 50% tariff threat was validated Wednesday — at least in the short term — with markets and businesses breathing a collective sigh of relief at the long list of exemptions to the levies.

Trump had threatened to impose a 50 percent tariff on Brazil beginning Friday if the country did not drop the charges against Bolsonaro. But he acted earlier, signing an executive order on the new tariffs yesterday.