If Flávio really had this exceptional condition of persuading Trump to increase tariffs on imports of Brazilian products, he should be the country’s president
Who is the president of Brazil? Squid. Who chose the current government ministers? Squid. Who dictates the direction of the Brazilian economy? Squid. Who has the authority and power to establish international relations? Squid. Who is responsible, in the Executive Branch, for seeking harmony with the Legislative and Judiciary branches? Squid.
Yes, Lula is the man. He boasted of having “chemistry” with Trump and of having been received with pomp and circumstance by the White House. He took advantage of events to sing in verse and prose the protagonism of having taken the Magnitsky Law off Minister Moraes’ shoulders. He even received public thanks for his achievement.
Famous who?
Who is Flávio Bolsonaro? Almost a famous “who?” It has zero power to choose ministers, both from the Executive and the Judiciary. At most, he participates in the hearing of those nominated by the President of the Republic, knowing that his questions, among the 81 senators, are worth practically nothing. Flávio does not establish economic guidelines for the country. It has no authority or power to coordinate with any nation. If you try to get involved in attempts to harmonize powers, you may be reprimanded: who are you to get involved in this conversation? In other words, he is just an opposition pre-candidate who became the main opponent of whoever is in the Planalto Palace today. Main, but just one among a battalion of suitors.
After all, who is the president?
How, then, can Lula want to outsource the blame for the tariffs intended by the United States to his opponent? If the government, with all the resources and power at its disposal, is unable, after months of negotiation and concessions, which few people know what they are, to sensitize Americans to put a brake on this taxation that will harm the country, how can it blame Flávio for the mistakes he did not commit?
Between us, if Flávio really had this exceptional condition of persuading Trump to increase tariffs on imports of Brazilian products, he should be the country’s president. But it’s not. And, according to his own words, he has insisted that Trump not take this initiative.
Who is to blame?
Much of the press echoes Lula. He states that in the first paragraph of the letter sent by Trump last year, imposing surcharges of 50%, there was a defense of Bolsonaro and criticism of the STF. That the former president’s trial would be a witch hunt. And that this would have been one of the causes of the economic measures adopted. What does Flávio have to do with this?
On the other hand, although Lula boasts about his connection with Trump, when he gets on the platform to please his bubble of voters, he brings the sledgehammer down on the American president. He felt the pleasure of having gained some points in the voting intention polls when he acted like this last year. Therefore, you want to repeat the dose.
Still on the stage
As if he were giving a speech at the factory doors or in front of the crowd that filled the Vila Euclides Stadium, in São Bernardo do Campo, in the 1970s, he says what comes to mind, apparently without caring about the consequences of his bravado. In a meeting with ministers, he stated: “Trump was elected by the American people and I respect the American electoral result. I was elected by the Brazilian people, they have to respect the vote of the Brazilian people. I was not elected emperor of Latin America and much less was Trump elected emperor of the world.”
But weren’t they in negotiations?
If that harshness wasn’t enough, he said that the United States Secretary of State, of Cuban descent, Marco Rubio, is a frustrated Latin American. Any aspiring Itamaraty member knows that delicate issues with one of Brazil’s most powerful trading partners cannot be resolved this way, but rather with a lot of conversation and negotiation.
This temper may even yield some gains in the electoral polls, but it is terrible for the country. What’s more: if the government has always said that it was in negotiations with the Americans since the day Lula visited Trump, how can it now claim that it was taken by surprise by the decision? One of two things: either there was no chemistry between the two presidents, or these conversations between the two governments did not exist throughout that time.
Where is the chemistry?
A perfect example of a dilemma, as in both cases they will have to kneel on the corn in the corner of the room. These are eloquent signs that Brazilian diplomacy is not achieving results with the attitudes it has taken. Everything indicates that ideological issues may be clouding the path to the desired solutions.
The phrase is old and tired, but very appropriate for the current situation: money doesn’t take kindly to insults. And, as one of my daughters says, if it’s in dollars, even less.
Something needs to be done, and quickly. In this exchange of accusations between the pre-candidates, there is only one loser: the Brazilian people. Follow on Instagram: @polito
*This text does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Jovem Pan.
