Caiado says Flávio Bolsonaro's candidacy is 'sinking'

“The ship is sinking and the allies have already started to jump out!” wrote Caiado in X when sharing a G1 report about the decision of the federation between PP and União Brasil to withdraw support for Flávio's candidacy.

The federation formed by PP and União Brasil must adopt a neutral position in the presidential dispute, freeing state directorates to negotiate alliances in accordance with regional interests. The orientation gained strength after friction between Flávio and leaders of the two parties, including the dissatisfaction of Ciro Nogueira (PP) with the lack of public support from the senator during the investigation involving Banco Master and the discomfort of União Brasil after the arrest of ally Márcio Canella, in Rio de Janeiro.

In recent days, Caiado has intensified his criticism of his opponent. Just this Friday morning, he stated that Flávio Bolsonaro and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) are “pear of the same feather”.

"When it comes to tariffs, Lula does nothing because he wants to benefit from the fight, and Flávio Bolsonaro only thinks about the election itself. Brazil's interests cannot take a backseat!", wrote the governor in another publication on X.

On Thursday (9), Caiado stated that a possible dispute between Flávio and Lula would represent a “candidacy of the rejected”, in reference to the high rejection rates attributed to the two. The governor also questioned whether the 2026 election will be restricted to a “revenge game” between Bolsonaristas and PT members.

On Wednesday (8), after participating in the "Agenda dos Presidenciáveis" event, Caiado declared that a vote for Flávio Bolsonaro would be equivalent to a vote for Lula's re-election.

“Given the current scenario, many don’t want to confess, but if you vote for Flávio, you will re-elect Lula,” he stated.

The pre-candidate also classified as “unacceptable” the request made by the senator to the United States government to postpone the collection of the 25% tariff on Brazilian products until after the 2026 elections.

Flávio's proposal to postpone tariffs until after the elections is unacceptable, says Caiado

Pre-candidate also criticized Itamaraty's 'ideological' stance and said that Brazil is under pressure from the USA, China and Europe. Flávio Bolsonaro proposed that the US suspend the application of tariffs until the elections, arguing that new tariffs would help Lula