The senator, pre-candidate for President, compared it to an Opala car in an interview this Wednesday (11). “Lula is like Opala, ‘old man’, he used to be handsome, but today he doesn’t take you anywhere and he still drinks a lot,” said the former president’s son during a BTG bank conference, followed by applause from those present.
Flávio stated that the 2026 election will not be about Lula and Bolsonaro, but about the path that Brazil will want to follow. “Whether it is the path of prosperity, which we will propose, or the path of darkness.”
Asked about what his relationship with other institutions would be like if elected, considering those during his father’s presidential term, the senator replied that he tried to build bridges, but that there was no “self-restraint” from the .
“When that doesn’t happen, it’s another external power that has to do it, in this case, the Senate. As far as it depends on me, I will always seek dialogue. Let’s win the election with our brains, not with our livers,” he said.
Flávio referred to the governor, under pressure from Bolsonaro supporters and Bolsonaro’s son, as a “friend”, and said that he “will go headlong” into his pre-campaign.
He also said he respects the former first lady and said she is “still thinking about whether to enter public life.” Michelle, who has not yet joined her stepson’s pre-campaign, used to be mentioned for a presidential ticket headed by Tarcísio.
Regarding alliances, the senator said that the central parties will not be with the PT. “I’m not demanding time and I’m not in a rush,” he said. He cited , president of the PP, and Antonio Rueda, head of União Brasil, as examples of party leaders with whom he has had “good conversations”.
“Everyone was betting that Tarcísio would be the candidate appointed by President Bolsonaro,” said Flávio, adding that everyone was worried about not losing the elections to the PT, but that his pre-candidacy. “I think that at this point I am already able to show that they can reduce this concern”, he stated.
The senator participated in the event via videoconference, as he had just returned from an international trip to countries such as Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and France, where . Flávio said that the “Arab world” could invest in infrastructure and modernization of railways, ports and airports in Brazil, but that they are not doing so due to legal uncertainty in the country.
Flávio also minimized the possibility of support from the President of the United States for his likely candidacy. Trump is a reference for Bolsonarists, and the federal deputy, who went into self-exile in the country, tried to establish a dialogue with Trumpist authorities to denounce what he sees as abuses by the Supreme Court.
“I’m not saying support because there won’t be any country interfering in the election in Brazil. Trump looks at the world by putting the interests of Americans first,” said the senator, in an apparent attempt to deflate the . Flávio stated that the president of Brazil also needs to guide international relations according to what is best for Brazilians.
“I have to sit down with the United States, China, Israel, the Arab world. I just hope that Lula doesn’t drink a cachaça before going to a meeting like this, talk nonsense and belch anti-American sentiments, instead of defending Brazilian interests”, added Bolsonaro’s son, once again associating the president with excessive alcohol consumption, a narrative embraced by the radical right in Brazil.
In the international field, the senator was also asked about his endorsement of the government in El Salvador, where he was in November, considering the complaints in the country.
Due to its hard-line security policy, the Bukele administration established an exceptional regime that has lasted more than three and a half years, arrested thousands of innocent people, violated constitutional guarantees, persecuted the press and emptied the Supreme Court.
“If there’s one thing I’m going to be radical about, it’s public safety. [Em El Salvador] I saw human rights violations of the victims of the ‘pandilleros’ [integrantes das gangues]. Brazil needs to rescue the territories currently dominated by narco-terrorist organizations”, he stated.
Flávio defended the toughening of sentences, the construction of prisons and investment in basic education in the public network.
Asked about possibilities, the senator said that Mansueto Almeida and Roberto Campos Neto, names speculated by the press, are “exceptional”, but that he has not yet spoken to them about the possibility. “Name can be seen up front. It has to be at least equal to Paulo Guedes. But it will be much better than [Fernando] Haddad.”
