The bilateral meeting between the presidents of the United States, Donald Trump, and Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, which took place this Sunday (26), in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, had one main objective for the Brazilian foreign ministry: to make the American government retreat from the 50% customs tariffs imposed on national products.
But, in addition to this subject, according to the executive secretary of the Ministry of Development, Industry, Commerce and Services, Márcio Rosa, one of those present at the meeting, former president Jair Messias Bolsonaro, convicted of leading an alleged coup plot and an ally of Trump while president of Brazil, was also on the agenda of the meeting in Asia.
“The issue of Bolsonaro came up, even earlier in the interview, in which [Trump] was asked, but very sideways”, said the secretary.
This information was also corroborated by newspapers with large circulation in Brazil, such as THE GLOBE, Folha de São Paulo e Estadão.
According to GLOBO, assistants to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mauro Vieira, stated that, at the meeting, Lula said there was no prohibited subject but highlighted that Jair Bolsonaro’s process followed due legal process.
However, the Sheetciting “members of the government”, highlighted that the former president’s name came up by Lula himself, who would have made it clear that nothing could influence the decisions of the Brazilian Judiciary, which would have been welcomed by Trump.
To G1, Mácio Rosa also said that the Magnitsky Law, an economic sanction imposed by the White House on Minister Alexandre de Moraes of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), was also mentioned at the meeting and treated as “unfair” by the PT member.
“But also the [que o] President Lula used as an example is the unfairness of the application of the Magnitsky Law in relation to some authorities, such as the Federal Supreme Court (STF), how unfair this measure is in relation to these ministers because due legal process was respected and there is no political or legal persecution”, said the secretary to G1.
The subject was discussed in front of journalists
Before the doors were closed, the journalists present were able to ask questions to the presidents and when Trump was asked about Bolsonaro’s situation, the Republican replied that he “always liked him” and that he was saddened by his conviction for an attempted coup d’état.
At another point, when one of the reporters insisted on knowing whether the former Brazilian president would be the topic of the meeting, Trump replied: “It’s none of your business.”
“I always liked him, I felt really bad about what happened to him. I always thought he was an honest guy, but he’s been through a lot,” said the head of the White House in Kuala Lumpur.
In the letter sent by Trump in which he announced the 50% tariff in July, the head of the White House condemned the STF’s stance against Bolsonaro and alleged an unfair trade relationship maintained between the countries.
“I knew and dealt with former President Jair Bolsonaro and respected him deeply. The way Brazil treated former President Bolsonaro, a leader highly respected around the world during his term, including by the United States, is an international disgrace. This trial should not be happening. It is a witch hunt that must end IMMEDIATELY!”, said Trump.
The President of the United States also mentioned in the letter Brazil’s “insidious” attacks on free elections and Americans’ fundamental rights of freedom of expression, directly mentioning the Supreme Court, which, according to him, “has issued hundreds of SECRET and ILLEGAL censorship orders to US social media platforms, threatening them with millions of dollars in fines and expulsion from the Brazilian social media market.”
