The meeting between the senator (RJ), presidential candidate for , and the president of , , was celebrated by congressmen and influencers from the Bolsonarist right at a time when na , owner of .
On the afternoon of this Tuesday (26), alongside the former deputy (PL-SP), his brother. The senator said he had asked the American president to classify the PCC and Red Command as terrorist organizations, contrary to the government’s (PT) understanding. It also offered the US what it called a “long-term strategic partnership” regarding rare earths and critical minerals.
PL members claim that, but some of them still show dissatisfaction with the senator for hiding his relationship with Vorcaro. The website The Intercept Brasil revealed that the senator asked the former banker for money to make the film “Dark Horse” about the former president (PL).
Still according to party deputies, it is necessary to wait to determine whether the trip to the United States will be able to alleviate the wear and tear suffered by Flávio in recent days.
Senator Magno Malta (PL-ES), a staunch critic of the (Supreme Federal Court), says that Flávio’s meeting with Trump also shows that the United States is attentive to what is happening in Brazil and the attitudes of the minister, whom he called a “major human rights violator”.
“Trump called Flávio because Flávio is a candidate for President of the Republic. Trump wanted to hear from him what is happening with Brazil”, he says, adding that the result was wonderful for the senator.
On social media, the meeting fueled right-wing profiles, with mockery towards those who had doubted the agenda with Trump — which was from Flávio’s pre-campaign team.
The photo of Flávio with Trump was shared by congressman Nikolas Ferreira (PL-MG), a profile with the greatest reach on the right. “That factionalists become terrorists, there is more technological investment, strong commercial agreements and appreciation of agriculture. Important rapprochement”, wrote the deputy.
Senator Sergio Moro (PL-PR) shared the photo with the caption “Strength and prestige!”.
Questioned by the report before the meeting, senator Damares Alves (Republicanos-DF) said that being received by the US president would help “any candidate”. “It’s no secret that Trump has a good relationship with Brazilian conservatives. If he [Flávio] is the biggest representative in this conservative pre-campaign, this meeting is very natural”, he stated.
Eduardo, who participated in the meeting with Trump, is also involved in the “Dark Horse” case. The suspicion is that the amount transferred by Vorcaro may have come from the former deputy in the United States, where he has lived since February 2025, which Eduardo and Flávio deny.
The resources for the film came from a fund controlled by Eduardo’s allies and based in Texas, USA.
In , the tie between Flávio and Lula in the second round, with 45% each, turned into an advantage of 47% to 43% for the PT member. Still, Bolsonarists celebrated, as they feared a greater impact.
Among PT members and Lula government assistants, the meeting between Flávio and Trump was seen as a strategy by the senator to divert attention from his ties with Vorcaro.
For them, the meeting between the two does not necessarily bring positive impacts for the rival and should be used as a trump card by the Lula government in reinforcing the discourse in defense of sovereignty. According to a Planalto assistant, Flávio runs the risk of being associated by the PT administration with any possible failure in the negotiations held so far between the USA and Brazil.
On social media, government parliamentarians already adopt this tone when citing the episode. Representative Lindbergh Farias (PT-RJ) said that the meeting aims to hide the scandal and referred to the episode as “Three Stooges with Trump”.
During his visit to his American counterpart at the beginning of the month, Lula left with ongoing cooperation agreements in the area of organized crime and tariff negotiations.
During an event in São Paulo also this Tuesday, the vice-president of the Republic, (), was asked about Flávio’s visit to Trump and said that “one of the Bolsonaro family” working against Brazil was enough.
“Regarding the pre-candidate’s visit to the United States, it’s a matter that he should explain. We already had one of the family working against Brazil, we don’t need to have two working against it, right?”, he declared.
The reading of allies is that, despite Flávio’s visit in order to detach himself from the scandal that erupted during his pre-campaign, the mobilization should have effects only with Bolsonaro’s most loyal electorate, serving as a new asset for Lula at this time.
