Bolsonaro heir lauds Trump resurgence, targets Brazil presidency

NewsDesk MC — Sun, 29 Mar 2026 06:25:18 +0000

Texas — Brazilian senator Flavio Bolsonaro on Saturday praised the second term of U.S. President Donald Trump and pledged a more effective version of his father’s leadership as he positions himself for Brazil’s October presidential election.

Speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Texas, the 44-year-old lawmaker said a future administration under his leadership would improve upon that of his father, former president Jair Bolsonaro, drawing parallels with Trump’s return to office.

“Bolsonaro 2.0 will also be much better,” he told attendees, adding that electoral integrity would be critical to his campaign. He called for “free and fair elections” and urged international scrutiny to ensure democratic processes are upheld.

Flavio Bolsonaro is widely expected to emerge as the principal challenger to incumbent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who at 80 is seeking a fourth term. With seven months until the vote, opinion polls indicate a closely contested race between the two figures.

The senator has sought to distinguish himself as more moderate than his father while maintaining a hardline stance on public security, an issue that remains central to conservative voters.During his address, Bolsonaro reiterated claims that the administration of former U.S. president Joe Biden interfered in Brazil’s 2022 election, which brought Lula back to power.

He did not provide evidence for the allegation.Brazil’s Supreme Court last year sentenced Jair Bolsonaro to 27 years in prison after convicting him of leading a scheme aimed at preventing Lula from taking office.

The former president has denied wrongdoing, describing the case as politically motivated.global alignment and messagingFlavio Bolsonaro’s remarks underscore a broader effort to align with international conservative movements, particularly those associated with Trump-era policies.

He also called for global attention to Brazil’s democratic institutions, urging diplomatic pressure to safeguard freedom of expression and institutional functioning.

His appearance at CPAC highlights the increasing role of transnational political alliances as Brazil’s election approaches, with both domestic and international narratives shaping the campaign.

Brazil’s Bolsonaro and Lula trade insults in debate ahead of runoff vote

Millichronicle — Mon, 17 Oct 2022 20:27:05 +0000

Brasilia (AFP) — Far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro and leftist challenger Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva traded jabs and insults as they squared off Sunday in their first-ever head-to-head debate, two weeks from Brazil’s presidential runoff election.

Lula attacked Bolsonaro as the “king of fake news,” drawing accusations of lying, corruption and a “disgraceful” record in return, as the rivals sparred in the first debate for their polarizing second-round showdown on October 30.

Lula, the charismatic but tarnished ex-president (2003-2010) who is seeking a comeback at 76, was particularly fiery criticizing Bolsonaro over his handling of Covid-19, which has killed 687,000 people in Brazil, second only to the United States.

Attacking Bolsonaro over his resistance to buying vaccines and touting of unproven medications such as hydroxychloroquine, Lula said the president “carries the weight of those deaths on his shoulders.”

“Your negligence led to 680,000 people dying, when more than half could have been saved,” the ex-metalworker said in his trademark gravelly voice.

“No other leader in the world played around with the pandemic and with death the way you did.”

In a feisty, free-wheeling debate with minimal intervention by moderators, Bolsonaro, 67, tried to drag the focus to the issue of corruption — a weak spot for Lula, who was jailed in 2018 on controversial, since-overturned graft charges.

“Your past is disgraceful… You did nothing for Brazil but stuff public money in your pockets and those of your friends,” Bolsonaro said.

“Lula, stop lying, it’s bad for you at your age,” said the ex-army captain at another point, simultaneously defending his own record and taking a shot at his rival’s age.

Bolsonaro, the vitriolic hardline conservative who took office in 2019, finished second in the first-round election on October 2 with 43 percent of the vote, to 48 percent for Lula.

But many opinion polls had put Lula’s lead in the double digits.

Bolsonaro’s stronger-than-expected performance has given him an aura of momentum heading into the runoff, and increased speculation over the possibility of another surprise in two weeks’ time.

Lula has 53 percent of the vote heading into the runoff, to 47 percent for Bolsonaro, according to a poll released Friday by the Datafolha institute.

Jair Bolsonaro – The Milli Chronicle

Bolsonaro heir lauds Trump resurgence, targets Brazil presidency

Brazil’s Bolsonaro and Lula trade insults in debate ahead of runoff vote