Trump aide’s actions raise specter of Brazil elections interference – Valor International
The episode involving the revocation of a visa issued to Darren Beattie—an adviser to President Donald Trump who had requested to visit former president Jair Bolsonaro in prison—has drawn attention to the risk of United States interference in Brazil’s elections. This concern has long been on the radar of Brazilian officials, but the release of recent polls showing a tie in a potential second round between President Lula (Workers’ Party, PT) and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro (Liberal Party, PL, Rio de Janeiro), coinciding with Beattie’s entry into the scene, suggests that the pro-Bolsonaro faction within the U.S. government may have seen an opportunity to put its team back in action.
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Government officials and members of the PT interviewed by Valor acknowledge privately that recent surveys by polling firms such as Datafolha and Genial/Quaest could influence the actions of U.S. officials who maintain ties with the Bolsonaro family. Responsible from the beginning for relations with the international far right, former congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro—whose term was revoked in December for excessive absences—moved to the United States more than a year ago to coordinate with Trump allies to end the trial over the attempted coup and celebrated the 50% tariff imposed on Brazilian exports to the U.S.
A diplomatic source said that Lula and Trump currently maintain a relationship of “mutual respect,” but noted that there has always been, within the United States Department of State, a faction aligned with Bolsonarism. The internal assessment is that the groups responsible for the tariff escalation remain active and, given Brazil’s current political environment, saw an opening to try to regain influence and shape the agenda.
The diplomat added that July 9, 2025—when Trump announced the sweeping tariff on Brazilian exports—will always be remembered as an “infamous” date on which Brazilian democracy suffered one of its greatest affronts from a nation with which it had maintained friendly relations for 201 years. For this reason, the current situation cannot be viewed in isolation but rather within the context of ongoing internal disputes within the White House.
At the same time, officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brazil believe that the revocation of Beattie’s visa is unlikely to sour relations with the White House or disrupt negotiations over Lula’s planned official visit to the United States in April or May. Diplomats are convinced that Brazil should maintain a sovereign posture in situations like this, as it did during the tariff dispute, when there was pressure for Lula to call Trump directly.
Within the circle of Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira, there is even some doubt as to whether U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was aware of Beattie’s move, which reportedly included seeking information about Brazil’s electoral system. The adviser responsible for Brazil-related affairs had requested a visa for an official trip to attend an event on critical minerals. However, he only sought meetings with Brazilian officials after his request to visit Bolsonaro—currently imprisoned at Papudinha, an area reserved for special detainees at the Papuda Penitentiary Complex in Brasília—became public.
Officials concluded that there had been bad faith and an unacceptable breach of diplomatic channels. As a result, Brazil invoked the principle of “reciprocity,” similar to the precedent involving the revocation of U.S. visas for Health Minister Alexandre Padilha and members of his family.
“The American who said he was coming here to visit Jair Bolsonaro was prohibited from visiting, and I barred him from entering Brazil until they restore the visas of the health minister, which are blocked,” Lula said during an event in Rio de Janeiro on Friday (13).
Rising rejection of the U.S. among Brazilians
Sources interviewed by Valor do not foresee explicit U.S. intervention in Brazil’s presidential succession. If the goal were to help the Bolsonaro family return to power, recent polling suggests that a public endorsement from Trump for Flávio Bolsonaro could actually harm him rather than strengthen his candidacy.
A survey released last week by Genial/Quaest showed that Brazilian rejection of the U.S. has grown, especially after the tariff hike. According to the institute, 48% of Brazilians now disapprove of the U.S., up from 25% in October 2023.
More subtle forms of interference, however, cannot be ruled out. There is uncertainty, for instance, about the behavior of “big tech” companies—an arena in which Brazil’s Bolsonaro-aligned right has operated with considerable effectiveness since 2018.
This article was translated from Valor Econômico using an artificial intelligence tool under the supervision of the Valor International editorial team to ensure accuracy, clarity, and adherence to our editorial standards. Read our Editorial Principles.
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