Brazil's Lula targets Trump's phone-based foreign policy, supports 'fart balconies'

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has taken a swipe at U.S. President Donald Trump, accusing him of trying to “govern the world through social media.” Speaking at a housing handover event in Rio Grande, Lula criticised Trump’s frequent posts on X and Truth Social, saying global discourse now revolves around whatever the former U.S. president says online. Lula stressed the need to “restore humanism” in digital spaces and urged people to step back from excessive mobile phone use, revealing that phones are banned inside his own office. The Brazilian leader also highlighted his government’s social housing efforts under the Minha Casa, Minha Vida programme, which delivered over 1,200 homes to thousands of families. Reiterating a remark that has drawn attention before, Lula defended his criticism of small flats without balconies—popularly dubbed the “fart balcony”—arguing that balconies are essential for dignity and quality of life in affordable housing.