Given the diagnosis that the first lady, Janja da Silva, became a preferential target of opposition attacks, the government set up an informal group to try to shield it and offer a legal and political strategy. Last month, Janja even rehearsed a recollection to avoid wear, but returned to the spotlight by not giving up international travel, even with internal evaluation that his scripts abroad generate wear to Lula. The first lady boarded a week before the president to Japan and next Wednesday, Paris will go to the nutrition summit for growth.
Most of the Janja mentions on social networks are negative (53.4%), according to a survey by BITES consultancy, Instagram, Reddit, YouTube and Facebook since January 1; 14.4% were positive and 32.2%, neutral – Photo: Brenno Carvalho/Agency O Globo
What has been internally called “Bunker of Protection” to the first lady is formed by the Minister of the Attorney General Jorge Messias, the Minister of the Institutional Relations Secretariat, Gleisi Hoffmann, the PT leader, Lindbergh Farias (RJ), and the prerogatives’ lawyers group.
Messiah closely follows the representations made against Janja’s performance, whether in court, the Federal Court of Audit (TCU) and the Federal Prosecutor (MPF). One of them asked for Janja’s departure from the premises of the Planalto Palace, but was filed on March 14.
Gleisi and Lindbergh help to make the political dispute on social networks, while the prerogatives, with lawyer Marco Aurélio de Carvalho ahead, has the task of defending the image of Janja in civil society.
The internal evaluation is that in a very short space of time there was a “coordinated action of the opposition” against Janja with attacks that, in the past, according to the government, did not occur at the same level of aggressiveness with first other ladies. There was a consensus that the movement began to affect the image of Janja, despite judicially none of the representations against it prospered.
Pressured by these wear, Janja even fetched an adjustment in her performance. According to allies, the first lady indicated that she would focus on what she thinks indispensable, while positioning her in the subjects she identifies relevant. The idea was to adopt more cautious posture.
This retreat does not include international travel. The decision on these scripts occurs in the restricted space of discussion of the presidential couple. Last Saturday, Janja embarked for Japan along with the president’s forerunner team. The team composed of advisors, police and members of the Institutional Security Office (GSI) always travels in advance to the destinations that will be visited by Lula.
The government adopted total discretion on Janja activities in Japan, which during this week participated in a sustainability event within COP30 schedules, which will take place in November in Belém, as well as a cultural activity at the Brazilian Embassy in Tokyo.
Before returning to Brazil, Lula authorized Janja’s trip to participate in the Nutrition for Growth Summit, at the invitation of the French government, between March 26 and 30, in Paris.
Weeks earlier, however, Janja gave up going to New York to represent Brazil at the 69th Session of the Commission on Women’s Situation (CSW), an event linked to the United Nations (UN).
In 2024, Janja was in the US to attend the same event. The withdrawal this year occurred amid the wear of their trips. The last one occurred in February, when Janja officially represented the government at the global alliance against hunger and poverty event in Rome and found Pope Francis.
The script in Italy motivated public demonstrations of opposition parliamentarians such as Marco Feliciano, Rosângela Moro, Flávio Bolsonaro and Caroline de Toni, and became the target of a news in the MPF.
The first lady also declined to go to New York as women Minister Cida Gonçalves runs the risk of losing office in ministerial reform. Cida headed the mission to the US. A government wing takes its way out.
Janja, for now, also left the idea of creating a formal cabinet that could set clear limits for her performance. The first lady once again touched the theme in mid-2024, but the subject did not prosper under the same argument with which she was barred in early 2023. Ministers close to Lula led the scenario that Janja could be called by the opposition often to explain her function.
On Friday, in an interview with CNN Brazil, Gleisi argued that the first lady has a position in the government:
“I argue yes, that you have a honorary position, she will not receive anything.” Because it is important for her to be accountable, talk. I see no problem. And I think it’s important to be able to act, she is the companion of the President of the Republic, has an important social weight.
Palatial assistants claim that the change of Janja posture is already noticeable. The first lady has decreased frequency at events and has made fewer requests that in the past were identified as coming from her office.
Last week, Janja also decided to close her Instagram profile. According to his advisory, the decision was due to a wave of hate and misogynous comments in the publications. Allies say that, on social networks, there was also some adaptation in the posts, with more careful selection on the subject of which it manifests itself.
In the Planalto Palace, however, it is not ruled out that this retreat is temporary and Janja again seeks protagonism. A year ago, Janja was considered a bet of electoral cable of PT women’s candidates to municipal elections. Like Lula, Janja, however, closed the distanced electoral period of female stands.
Internally, the assessment is that the worst time for the first lady took place in November last year during the G20, when Janja caused diplomatic embarrassment by cursing businessman Elon Musk, owner of X.
During the social G20 panel, the first lady said “Fuck You” when referring to the billionaire, which generated immediate reaction against the government. The next day, in a public and direct speech, Lula said that one can “offend anyone.” The attack motivated criticism in the government for overshadowing the event itself.
The focus on Janja’s acting occurs at the worst moment of popularity of the president. According to this month’s ipsos-Ipes survey, Lula’s mandate is seen by 41% of Brazilians as bad or bad, and 27% as great or good.
In addition to internal diagnosis that certain Janja solo agendas generate wear and tear, an atlasintel/Bloomberg survey of February points out that 58% of Brazilians have a negative image of the first lady, an index that was 40% in October.
