Flávio Bolsonaro says in the US that Lula wants 'tariff' to gain political gain

Flávio made the statement in Washington, where he is about to participate in a USTR hearing (Office of the United States Trade Representative), the body that negotiates the application of fees, on Tuesday (7).

"The President of the Republic simply washed his hands and he is the only one in the world who wants this tariff for Brazilian companies because he thinks it will have some political return. And all the items that are being taken into consideration to know whether they will impose the tariff or not, among them, is corruption. And we clearly know that the government does not fight corruption", said the senator.

The statement was given by Flávio in a live broadcast on social media alongside his brother, former deputy Eduardo Bolsonaro (SP). The senator also made a video this Sunday in which he once again stated that he is in the USA to "defend Pix".

The USTR concluded an investigation into alleged unfair trade practices between Brazil and the US and proposed the application of 25% tariffs to Brazilian products. One of the Americans' arguments is that Pix causes losses to companies there.

The Brazilian government has been negotiating with the USA since last year to prevent the imposition of surcharges. President Lula has called the senator a "traitor to the country", because his brother instigated the American government to act against Brazil, which has given ammunition to the country's sovereignty discourse.

In June, Flávio displayed a poster with the message "Pix is from Brazil and Bolsonaro!!!", one day after the PT member raised another that said "Pix is from Brazil!".

In a document sent last week to the body responsible for tariffs, management argued that the proposed tariff against Brazil will affect American interests and reduce the space for dialogue between the two countries on trade issues.

Therefore, trying to avoid blame for the possible imposition of US tariffs, Flávio sent the United States government a document offering commercial advantages to Americans, such as the elimination of tariffs on ethanol and the reduction of the tax burden on credit card companies.

He also said that confirming the 25% tariff proposed by the body would give Lula a "political victory" and asked Trump to decide on the tariffs after the elections.

Flávio also joined Pix's defense. On Friday, the senator said he will defend Pix to Americans.

"I'm going to the United States to defend our Pix, since the current president of Brazil doesn't care about Brazilian companies. And he is the only one who wants tariffs on our Brazilian products that are sent to the United States", he said on Friday, at a PL seminar in Rio de Janeiro focused on communication strategies.

The document sent by Flávio to the USA highlights that he is a senator of the Republic, a prominent opposition figure and pre-candidate for the Presidency. He also remembers that the senator met with Trump, vice JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The text suggests that the United States suspend, at least until the election, the process of applying the 25% tariffs proposed by the USTR and open a negotiation table on the six items mentioned in the trade investigation: digital trade, preferential tariff treatment, corruption, intellectual property, ethanol and deforestation.

Lula criticized the document sent by Flávio in which the senator also calls for the "liberation" of Mercosur and the postponement of tariffs until after the Brazilian elections.

"It is unacceptable that the Bolsonaro family, with its surrender, wants to subject Brazil to the interests of the United States, as is clear in the document sent today by one of its members to the North American government", writes Lula's profile on X (formerly Twitter).

"We will always speak on an equal footing with any nation in the world. Asking for tariffs against our country to be postponed until after the elections is yet another attitude of traitors to the country. There has never been and there is no justification for tariffs now or later", says Lula.

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