Socialist convicted felon Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, currently the president of Brazil, landed in Washington late Thursday and began his visit to America with a meeting with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) at noon on Friday.
Lula, who began his third term at the helm of the country on January 1, will meet with leftist President Joe Biden in the late afternoon, according to the official readout regarding his visit from the Brazilian government. It is his second international trip since returning to office, having traveled to neighboring Argentina in late January for the summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), a leftist organization. Lula used that visit to make public his support for the violently repressive authoritarian regimes of Cuba and Venezuela, placing him at odds with fellow leftist Gabriel Boric, the president of Chile.
Lula returned to power after being convicted on multiple appeals of taking bribes and using them to buy a luxury property during his first two terms as president, from 2003 to 2011. The 77-year-old had been banned from running for office again as a result of the crimes he was convicted for, but the nation’s top court, the Supreme Federal Tribunal (STF), ruled that the original court processing the case had no jurisdiction in 2021, allowing Lula on the ballot.
Lula won the presidency in a particularly dirty presidential election last year in which his campaign accused then-incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro of cannibalism and Lula himself described Bolsonaro as a “pedophile.”
The office of the Brazilian presidency listed Lula’s meeting with Sanders, a longtime admirer who celebrated Lula’s release from prison, as the first formal event of his itinerary. Lula’s Twitter account published a photo of the president alongside a beaming Sanders and confirmed it was the first in-person meeting between the two despite their clear ideological and generational similarities.
“With [Sanders], who I had the pleasure of meeting in person today,” Lula wrote on his Twitter account. “We had talked in a video meeting before.”
Lula said their conversation focused on “democracy, the trade union movement and better rights and jobs for workers.”
As a young leftist in Brazil, Lula rose to prominence in the labor movement and some of his most ironclad support still comes from the labor union movement.
Com o @SenSanders, que tive o prazer de conhecer ao vivo hoje. Já tínhamos conversado em reunião por vídeo antes. Falamos sobre sobre democracia, movimento sindical e melhores direitos e empregos para trabalhadores.
📸: @ricardostuckert pic.twitter.com/dTvxHU7xIF
— Lula (@LulaOficial) February 10, 2023
Sanders also published a photo of the meeting on his account, including several of Lula’s cabinet members who accompanied him to America. Sanders noted the two also discussed “climate cooperation.”
A pleasure to welcome @LulaOficial to Washington. We discussed the importance of defending democracy, advancing workers’ rights, and increasing environmental and climate cooperation around the world. pic.twitter.com/JoaItxWM3w
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) February 10, 2023
Lula’s office indicated in its official statement on the visit to Washington that Lula will prioritize in his meetings in America censorship of political dissent and climate change.
“Two of the greatest democracies in the world, Brazil and the United States face similar challenges tied to political radicalization and hate speech in the virtual space,” Lula’s office asserted. “Also at the center of the agenda: the reactivation of the Brazilian commitment to environmental conservation and a greater engagement by countries in the fulfillment of their financial commitments in the climate area.”
Lula, it continued, would also prioritize seeking investment in Brazil, “particularly for the energy transition and generation of clean energy.”
The meeting with Biden will likely include similar topics. In a formal announcement in January, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre confirmed the visit and listed among its topics “combatting climate change, safeguarding food security, encouraging economic development, strengthening peace and security, and managing regional migration.”
“During their meeting at the White House, the two Presidents will discuss the United States’ unwavering support of Brazil’s democracy,” Jean-Pierre also noted, likely indicating a discussion about a riot that took place in Brasilia, the nation’s capital, on January 8. During the incident, which resulted in no deaths, anti-Lula protesters and supporters of former President Bolsonaro stormed the headquarters of the three branches of government – the Brazilian Congress, the STF, and the presidential offices at Planalto – almost entirely destroying the STF building and leaving parts of the Congress unusable. Lula has blamed Bolsonaro personally for the riot, calling him “psychopathic,” despite Bolsonaro repeatedly urging supporters not to engage in violence and explicitly condemning the riot.
Jair Bolsonaro is currently in the greater Orlando, Florida, area and made his first formal public appearance following the end of his presidency at an event hosted by Turning Point USA last week. Outside of that event, Bolsonaro has engaged in casual conversations with supporters who have flocked to the condominium where he is staying outside Orlando.
Far-left Democrats in Congress have pressured Biden to deport Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro’s attorney confirmed in late January that the former president will seek a tourist visa to remain in the United States for a brief period; Biden’s government has not moved on the issue at press time.
“He would like to take some time off, clear his head, and enjoy being a tourist in the United States for a few months before deciding what his next step will be,” attorney Felipe Alexandre told Reuters.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.