Trump Administration Will Not Recognise Flavio Bolsonaro as Brazil's Legitimate Leader
The Trump administration has no plan to support Flavio Bolsonaro's claim to be Brazil's legitimate leader. A US official and another person familiar with the matter gave this information on Thursday. The British news agency Reuters reported the news.
Yet this same administration supported Bolsonaro and his father for years, and also helped the defeated candidate reach the United States.
President Donald Trump has said Sunday's Brazilian election looked rigged. But he also noted that he did not endorse anyone in the closely contested election.
In that election, the 81-year-old former labour leader and current leftist president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, overcame the odds to win re-election by a margin of 3.5 percentage points. Trump also said his relationship with Lula is good.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the US official and the other person said that although the administration let Bolsonaro enter the country, Trump has no current plan to support his political ambitions. They added, however, that the president could change his mind.
The Trump administration's position suggests the president may be unwilling to create a fresh crisis in relations with Brazil, which have gone through ups and downs in recent months.
A third US official, also speaking anonymously, said Bolsonaro's political capital has diminished because he went into self-exile. Many Brazilian conservatives who had expected him to lead the opposition in the coming years have criticised his flight.
Asked for comment, the White House referred the matter to the State Department, which did not respond. The Brazilian government and Bolsonaro's representatives also did not respond.
