The president will have a more combative role on social media starting in the coming weeks, with the transfer of management of his profiles to . Today under the responsibility of the government, more specifically Secom (Presidency Communications Secretariat), Lula’s personal accounts will now be managed by the party, allowing greater forcefulness in the political debate, without the constraints imposed on the federal government.
The toughest communication strategy will require changes in the government itself, starting with the departure of the secretary of production and dissemination of audiovisual content, Ricardo Stuckert. Alongside Lula since 2003, the official Presidency photographer will start working for the PT.
Stuckert is already responsible for the president’s profiles on different platforms, with the exception of X (formerly Twitter). Under the management of a government official, the pages are currently basically restricted to reporting official agendas.
In PT, profiles will be able to focus more on Lula’s image, adhering to the pre-campaign dynamics. Consolidating the name of the senator (-RJ) as an opponent required the anticipation of this strategy, according to assistants. Furthermore, the rigidification of Lula’s profiles has been the target of criticism from his allies.
Stuckert’s resignation is expected in the coming days. At PT, he will work alongside Nicole Briones.
A specialist in digital communications and marketing, Nicole coordinated the president’s social networks between June 2017 and December 2021, when Lula reached the mark of 48% of voting intentions for the following year’s elections.
In government, she was superintendent of Digital Communication and Social Media at EBC until August 2025 and, in October of that year, she took over the PT’s digital coordination, at the invitation of the party president, Edinho Silva.
Under the coordination of Edinho, the idea will be to take the political debate to Lula’s profiles. In the digital environment, the PT has highlighted the president’s image and has taken the opportunity to expose the relationship between Flávio Bolsonaro and the former banker.
Before the revelation of conversations between the senator and the former banker, Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro remained tied, according to the Datafolha survey.
In the most recent survey, released on Friday (22), days after the outbreak of the “Dark Horse” case, in reference to the name of the film about Jair Bolsonaro that allegedly received money from Vorcaro, Lula increased his advantage over Flávio Bolsonaro from three to nine points in the first round simulation, scoring 40% compared to his rival’s 31%.
In the second round scenario, equality has now become an advantage of 47% to 43% for the PT member.
On social media, the PT has explored news about Flávio’s request for money from Vorcaro, in a demonstration of this more aggressive strategy.
The transfer of Lula’s social media accounts to the PT also reflects dissatisfaction among Lula’s allies with the government’s digital communication, commanded by the minister.
At the time of Lula’s stagnation in the polls, the president’s interlocutors had criticized the work on the networks, questioning, for example, the effectiveness of pieces centered on animals. The possibility of the minister leaving the government to take over communication for Lula’s campaign has not been ruled out.
Sidônio’s tenure at Secom was marked by greater investment in advertising on social media. In 2025, the government’s advertising budget will be allocated to Google and Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, SBT and Band.
Digital channels received at least R$234.8 million of the approximately R$681 million distributed in advertisements by Secom and ministries last year.
Advertising on networks has covered a variety of topics, which publicize government projects and actions in specific cities or states. The states of Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais, the second and third largest electoral colleges in the country, respectively, were prioritized between October and April this year.
Furthermore, government advertising at Meta also involved topics such as income tax exemption for those earning up to R$5,000, public safety, combating violence against women and children and the end of the 6×1 scale.
