Allies of the former first lady () saw the video of the governor of , , published by her on social media as a message to her eldest stepson, senator (PL-RJ), with whom she was upset by the Presidency.
This Tuesday’s publication (13) would also be a way for the former first lady to test Tarcísio’s popularity.
A person close to Michelle says that her and the federal deputy’s (PL-MG) social networks have become two major thermometers of Bolsonarism. Based on engagement with each publication, he states, it is possible to capture what the electorate has been thinking.
Michelle was uncomfortable having been taken by surprise with the launch of Flávio’s pre-candidacy. The former first lady had visited (PL) the day before the announcement, in December, but the two did not discuss politics in the half hour they were together. Flávio, in turn, did not look for his stepmother to tell her that he had been chosen by his father.
In the video published by Michelle this Tuesday, Tarcísio criticizes the economic policy of the Lula (PT) government. “When you have more inflation, do interest rates go up or interest rates go down? That’s what’s happening, the country is spending too much”, says the governor in the selected excerpt.
Supporters of the former first lady also saw the publication as a sign that she was not yet fully convinced that Flávio is the best name in the Bolsonaro camp to run for President against Lula.
Michelle with her stepchildren at the end of last year due to the alliance that was being created by the PL with Ciro Gomes (PSDB) for the Government of Ceará.
After the episode, Bolsonaro asked the family to reconcile and . and also heard an apology from him. When the relationship seemed to improve, Flávio announced that he had received his father’s approval to run for president.
Bolsonaro’s eldest son flew from Brasília to São Paulo to inform the governor of São Paulo of the decision in person, but did not contact his stepmother, not even by phone. , the senator admitted that she may have “been surprised.”
“I believe she may have been surprised because I don’t know if President Bolsonaro spoke directly to her about this. He spoke to me. And she may have been surprised at the moment, but she certainly imagined that this was a very possible scenario,” he said.
People close to the former first lady say that her meeting with Bolsonaro on December 4 — the day before Flávio’s announcement — was sensitive because the couple’s daughter, Laura, was together.
Four days after Flávio’s announcement, Michelle announced that she would take a break from her political commitments. The former first lady canceled a national meeting that would take place in Rio de Janeiro on December 13 and temporarily left the presidency of PL Mulher, citing health issues.
People close to the former first lady say she wanted to spend more time with her daughter, who had just gone on vacation. Michelle, in the view of allies, would not be able to hide her discontent at having been politically trampled on either.
The former first lady will resume her travel schedule across the country on February 6, starting with (TO). The president of the PL directory in Tocantins, senator Eduardo Gomes, who is a pre-candidate for re-election, says that expectations for the event are high.
“Michelle is a public figure widely recognized throughout the country who has been fulfilling this party agenda in a very significant way and bringing very important female leaders for Brazil to the ranks of the PL”, states the senator.
