In a diplomatic encounter that had the energy of two coworkers who definitely do not get along insisting they totally get along, U.S. President Donald Trump and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva met privately at the Oval Office - and made absolutely sure to tell everyone afterward how great it went.
According to BBC reporting, the two leaders did not appear together publicly at any point during the visit. No joint press conference. No handshake photo. No awkward thumbs-up in front of a flag. Just a closed-door meeting followed by both men emerging to trade compliments like diplomatic Valentine's Day cards.
What actually happened
The private format of the meeting is itself a pretty loud signal. When world leaders genuinely enjoy each other's company, they tend to plaster themselves all over the cameras. When they don't, they opt for what diplomats politely call a "working meeting" - which is the international relations equivalent of "we need to talk."
The BBC notes the encounter signals both lingering strain between Washington and Brasilia AND a mutual effort to keep things from boiling over. Which, honestly, is a diplomatic tightrope act worthy of a standing ovation.
Why these two aren't exactly besties
Lula and Trump represent almost cartoonishly opposite ends of the political spectrum. Lula, a left-wing union organizer turned three-time Brazilian president, has clashed ideologically with Trump's worldview on virtually everything from climate policy to trade. Trump, meanwhile, had a notoriously warm relationship with Lula's predecessor Jair Bolsonaro - the Brazilian politician who practically ran on a "What Would Trump Do?" platform.
So the fact that they sat down at all is mildly impressive. The fact that they kept cameras out while doing it tells you the sitting-down part wasn't exactly effortless.
The compliment exchange nobody asked for
After the meeting, both leaders offered positive public statements about each other and the discussions - the diplomatic equivalent of two people leaving a mediocre dinner party and texting the host that the food was "amazing." Technically true? Unclear. Strategically necessary? Absolutely.
For Lula, maintaining workable relations with the United States is an economic and geopolitical priority regardless of who sits in the White House. For Trump, Brazil is simply too large and too important a player in the Western Hemisphere to freeze out entirely.
So here we are: two men who probably wouldn't choose each other's company at a barbecue, sitting in the most famous office in the world, being very professional about it.
Diplomacy, folks. It's a sport.
