The association between Flávio Bolsonaro (PL-RJ) and the new United States trade offensive against Brazil gained strength in public WhatsApp and Telegram groups after the senator’s trip to Washington.
Survey by the data analysis company Palver, released by Folha de S. Pauloshows that 81% of opinionated messages on the topic directly or indirectly hold the presidential pre-candidate responsible for the threat of new tariffs and the American questions about Pix.
The monitoring analyzed publications made between May 27th and June 2nd in more than 100,000 public groups on the two platforms. The period coincides with Flávio’s visit to the United States and his meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House.
According to Palver, neutral messages were excluded from the analysis, such as links without comments, automatic reproductions of news and clipping shots. The focus of the survey was to identify the content of users’ comments on the subject.
Tariff increases wear and tear
The repercussion gained intensity after the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) recommended a 25% tariff on Brazilian products and cited Pix among the practices considered problematic by the American government.
From that moment on, messages began to relate Flávio’s rapprochement with Trump to the deterioration of commercial relations between the two countries.
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According to Palver, the predominant content accuses the senator and the Bolsonaro family of acting against national interests or favoring the American government’s agenda.
The speech follows the strategy adopted by allies of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), who began to publicly link the senator’s trip to the escalation of pressure from Washington on Brazil.
“Tariflávio” enters the political dispute
On social media and messaging apps, government supporters are trying to popularize the nickname “Tariflávio” to associate the senator with the new trade dispute.
The episode began to worry the congressman’s allies because it occurred in the middle of the beginning of the presidential campaign and directly affects a sensitive economic issue for the electorate.
Behind the scenes in Brasília, Centrão politicians and members of the right-wing consider that a possible implementation of the tariffs would have the potential to generate erosion for Flávio’s candidacy.
The assessment is that the topic could allow adversaries to explore the narrative that proximity to Trump produced negative consequences for Brazilian companies.
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Defense bets on fighting crime
The survey also identified messages that defend the senator. Among the most frequent arguments are the accusation that criticism is part of a left-wing political strategy, the denial of any concrete risk to Pix and the defense that the trip to the United States had as its main focus the fight against organized crime.
This last argument gained strength after the American government announced the classification of the PCC and Comando Vermelho as terrorist organizations, a measure publicly defended by Flávio after his meetings in Washington.
Messages favorable to the senator maintain that his dialogue with American authorities sought to strengthen international cooperation against criminal factions, and not to press for economic sanctions on Brazil.
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Palver emphasizes that the study should not be interpreted as electoral research. The survey only measures the content that circulates in public WhatsApp and Telegram groups and does not represent the opinion of the Brazilian population as a whole.
