He also denounced attempts to influence upcoming Brazilian elections.

“Brazil does not fit into anyone’s backyard,” he said. “We need partners with a positive agenda that promotes development.”

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva speaks before the U.N. General Assembly, on September 22, 2026 (United Nations)

Full Speech by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, in English.

My compliments to the President of the General Assembly, Ambassador Khalilur Rahman from Bangladesh.

I greet each of the Heads of State and Government and the delegates present. I address in particular the Secretary-General of the United Nations. During his two terms, António Guterres was a direct witness to the growing mismanagement of the superpower.

Mr. President, this is the tenth occasion in which I open the General Debate of this Assembly. Since I stood at this podium for the first time in 2003, this is the most critical moment of the United Nations. The feeling that moves me today is that of indignation.

The United Nations is failing in one of its highest missions, to free humanity from the fray of war. Its credibility has never been so low. Its ability to protect the most vulnerable, those who have no army or arsenals, has never been so small.

We are all victims of the immobility of a Security Council that does not fulfill its role. In 1946, already in the first session of this assembly, Brazil warned of the high price that the international community would pay for the right to veto. This vice, which gave rise to the U.N. Charter, conferred the great powers the privilege of insensitivity.

This original sin is now added to a profound crisis of leadership. The year 2025 recorded the highest number of armed conflicts since World War II. Trillions of dollars financed a new arms race.

Geopolitical tensions threaten to turn regional disputes into a conflict of global proportions. Those who hold the reins of crucial decisions must act responsibly and in a sense of urgency. The leaders of the countries that make up the Security Council must come together.

I know the realities of power, but the concessions to the law of the strongest have already crossed the limits. This is not idealism, it is pure realism. War is not the continuation of politics by other means, it is the total failure of politics.

In an interdependent world, to lead is to reconcile the interests of the homeland with that of humanity. This is the statement of someone who represents a nation that loves peace and freedom. Someone who fought against a military dictatorship and defended his country against a coup d’état.

It is the conviction of a factory worker, who was elected president three times and who won the fight against hunger in Brazil. This assembly has recently corrected historical distortions. It has recognized the trafficking of enslaved Africans as the most serious crime against humanity.

It has approved the most precise representation of the world map. Now we must debate about determining themes for the future of humanity. We are called to choose between multilateralism and unilateralism, democracy or extremism, sovereignty or subordination.

These choices demand courage, political will and clarity of objectives. This is what is expected of a statesman. Yasser Arafat and Yitzhak Rabin were statesmen.

They challenged the past to design a future of peace. They were defeated by hatred. Generations of Palestinians will carry the pain and trauma left by the genocide practiced by the Netanyahu government against women and children in Gaza.

Israeli civilians paid the price of radicalism and intolerance of the terrorist acts of Hamas. Pursuing the International Criminal Court and its members is an incentive for these crimes to be punished. The U.N. Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese cannot be silenced for telling the truth.

Illegal settlements in the West Bank are becoming less and less viable. The two-state solution is essential so that Israelis and Palestinians can live in peace. Threatening the extinction of a civilization will not bring stability to the Middle East.

The Strait of Hormuz became a trench of war when it should remain a vital passage for international trade. Families all over the world pay for the increase in the price of fuel, fertilizers and food.

The war between Russia and Ukraine has dragged on for five years in a humanitarian drama that continues to save lives.

We all know that there will be no winners on the battlefield. Diplomacy is the only option. Initiatives such as the Group of Friends of Peace, created by Brazil and China, reveal the strength of the international community willing to work for dialogue.

In Latin America and the Caribbean, the geographical proximity to the world’s largest military power is inescapable, especially in the context of the worsening of hegemonic temptations. Brazil does not fit into anyone’s backyard. We need partners with a positive agenda that promotes development.

Ideological differences should not be an obstacle to greater integration between neighbors. Countries in the region have recognized the horrors of the regime of exception. We have come a long way to restore popular will.

Democracy is once again in check. We are once again witnessing foreign interference in electoral processes. The division of the world into areas of influence and neocolonial attacks for strategic resources constitute anachronistic gestures.

The Venezuelan people deserve to define their own destiny. Nicaragua will not solve its problems by preventing the opposition from running for office. The crisis in Haiti continues to test the limits of the indifference of the international community.

In Cuba, the world is suffering. The collective punishment imposed on 10 million people by an illegal economic embargo and energy blockade. Mr. President, Brazil does not underestimate the challenge posed by organized crime.

We are prepared to face criminal organizations that terrorize our communities. Workers are robbed, mothers lose their children, police officers do not return to home. People are tired of violence.

But we will not outsource the responsibility of defending our borders and guaranteeing the population the right to live without fear. We do not need aircraft carriers guarding our waters. We need cooperation to stop the flow of weapons and money that supplies organized crime.

This is the spirit of the proposal that I personally delivered to the president of the United States. We want to fight the money laundering carried out by Brazilian criminals abroad.

For a long time, Brazilian states have acted in their own way. Criminals took advantage of the lack of coordination. But this is changing. We created in Manaus, in the Amazon, the International Police Cooperation Center of the Amazon, bringing together the public security officials of the nine Amazon countries.

In 2025, we carried out the largest organized crime operation in the history of Brazil. We broke records in the seizure of drugs, goods and illicit resources. We are confronting all levels of organized crime, including crime magnates.

The Anti-Faction Law, which we have just passed, imposes on organized crime more severe penalties than those required for terrorism. Organized crime and corruption go hand in hand. The fight against corruption will continue to be relentless, no matter who may be hurt.

No one is above the law.

Ladies and gentlemen, the pillars of multilateralism are being corroded. The World Trade Organization is on life support. When governments capitulate in the face of those who use tariffs as a weapon of coercion and blackmail, the consequences are disastrous. In the age of disinformation, those who fight progress and knowledge resist the evidence of science. We will never forget the millions of lives lost by negligence in the fight against COVID-19.

Campaigns against vaccines are bringing back diseases that we considered eradicated. Weakening the World Health Organization makes everyone more vulnerable. Until recently, the response to climate change was consolidated in the center of the international agenda.

This year, the issue disappeared from the G7 debate and the G20 debate, forums that bring together the largest carbon emitters in the world. It is time to resume the offensive and impose a defeat to negationism. Nature reminds us every day that we have but one planet.

The Himalayan glaciers are melting. A super El Niño can cause torrential rains, droughts and forest fires in different parts of the globe. Its effects will impact, above all, the most vulnerable.

Brazil has been demonstrating that it is possible to combine economic growth with emission reduction. We have achieved our self-sufficiency in oil and we will continue to research the potential of new reserves such as the Equatorial Margin.

We will not renounce the environmental agenda. We will carry forward the roadmap for the decarbonization of the Brazilian economy. The Forever Tropical Forest Fund, launched at COP30 in Belém, shows that it is possible to change old paradigms. The forest is worth more standing than destroyed.

We will continue to reduce deforestation, which fell by half in the Amazon and reached the lowest level of deforestation in 11 years. We have the moral authority to reject protectionist measures disguised as embracing the environmental cause.

Brazil is a global leader in green energy. We have the critical minerals and rare earths that the world needs to carry out the energy transition. Our natural wealth belongs to the Brazilian people and it is for their benefit that they will be exploited. Access to our minerals will be a mandatory counterpart to the generation of value in our territory, the transfer of technology and the supply

of national strategic sectors.

Mr. President, we live in an unprecedented technological revolution, with great risks and opportunities. It would be an unforgivable historical omission not to face the challenge of regulating big tech and artificial intelligence. A handful of oligarchic technicians want to revive a version of digital neoliberalism without rules or transparency.

They are promoting a race without ethical restraints, beyond the backs of the U.N. and the Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence. As Pope Leo XIV warns, decisions on technology should never be separated from conscience and responsibility. Companies that know the risks of their products transfer to families the impossible task of facing algorithms.

The millionaire industry of betting apps turns addiction into profit. Its dizzying dissemination is indebting and destroying millions of homes. Brazil will not tolerate this business model.

We approved one of the most advanced legislations in the world to protect children, teenagers and women in the digital environment. We will ensure the joint remuneration of artists, musicians and audiovisual content creators. We will not give in to the pressure of multinationals who want to privatize our Pix, a public and free payment infrastructure that has made financial inclusion a reality for millions of Brazilians.

Ladies and gentlemen, sustainable development goals are the target of attacks from reactionary forces that want to naturalize injustice. Inequality and underdevelopment result from political choices. It is possible to put the poor in the budget and make the rich pay their share.

It is necessary to roll back privileges and invest in free, quality education and health.

There is a legitimate desire for change in the world. But changing is not going backwards.

Changing is not taking away rights.

It is not rehashing theories of racial supremacy or of female submission.

It is not recolonizing the Global South.

Changing is advancing to a future of more participation and more achievements. It is creating and sharing effective public solutions for the challenges of development through a democratic, strong, efficient and capable state. It is betting on the spirit of solidarity and cooperation with Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean.

Initiatives such as the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty and the International Panel on Inequality are born from this political will. Brazil is in a hurry to become a developed and socially just nation. We have adopted an economic model that focuses on income distribution, creating jobs and wage increases.

We are betting on improving productivity, on increasing credit and on building a robust social protection network. Brazil has grown again in a sustainable way. We are the third largest destination for foreign foreign direct investment.

Despite the U.S. tariffs against our economy, this year we will hit a new record of exports. There is still a lot to be done. The labor market is transforming.

Older people want to remain active. Young people want to start a business. Workers need time to rest, to improve their skills and be with their families.

In Brazil, achieving this goal means ending the so-called 6x1 scale to guarantee workers two days off a week. This change is essential to alleviate the domestic overload that still falls on women.

We are building a Brazil where women don’t have to ask for permission to occupy positions of power or enter the labor market.

A country free of femicide where no woman, in or outside the home, lives under the threat of violence. This is a cause that the world needs to embrace.

Mr. President, upon receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, Mr. King said, “I believe that what self-centered men have torn down, other-centered men can build up.”

The UN was born under the symbol of hope. Over eight decades, it has contributed to decolonization, promoted human rights and supported sustainable development. It protected immigrants and refugees. It condemned racism, anti-Semitism and religious intolerance.

These were the achievements of leaders who stood at this podium, moved by indignation in the face of the injustices of their time. Men and women who refused to accept war as their destiny, colonialism as their right, apartheid as their legitimate system. This ability to say “no” to the inequalities gave birth to some of the greatest transformations that we have lived.

Faced with the paralysis of the United Nations, we need to rediscover the political will so that it can, again, be a temple of peace.

I want to conclude with a message about my country to all who listen to us.

On October 4, millions of Brazilians go to the polls to decide their destiny.

They will not just elect the President of the Republic, state governors and representatives of the legislative power. They will decide between democracy and negationism. If Brazil is going to move toward a future of more opportunities or return to a past of exclusion.

We will have a transparent and competitive election where candidates enjoy the broadest freedom of expression.

We know that some abuses of this freedom seem to be associated with the interests of foreigners, contrary to the country.

We do not underestimate the challenge of the disinformation network that intends to disrupt the public debate during the campaign.

But we have a modern and robust electoral system. Under the watchful eye of a plural citizenry and a free press, we will not allow the enemies of democracy, both internal and external, to attack the popular will.

Brazilian democracy belongs to Brazilians.

Brazil will continue to be a sovereign country.

No one, no one will take us away from this path.

May God bless us all. Thank you.

This speech was translated into English by Panamerican Dispatch. You can read the original in Portuguese, here. You can watch his speech, below.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva used part of his opening speech at the United Nations General Assembly this Tuesday to respond to pressure from the Donald Trump administration over Brazil and to defend national sovereignty.

Without directly naming the U.S. president in his speech, Lula asserted that Brazil does not accept external interference in its democracy and will not submit to the influence of any power.

Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva speaks before the U.N. General Assembly on September 22, 2026. (United Nations)

The remarks came amid threats and statements from the U.S. government about Brazilian politics and this year’s elections. The Lula administration has treated these as attempts at interfering in the country.

“In Latin America and the Caribbean, proximity to the world’s greatest power is inescapable. Brazil does not fit into anyone’s backyard,” Lula said, drawing applause from the U.N. General Assembly audience.

The president also criticized the return of international pressure on democratic processes and stated that the world is once again contending with practices he considers outdated.

“We have come a long way to restore the popular will. Democracy is once again under threat. We are witnessing a return of external interference in electoral processes and neocolonial drives for strategic resources. These are things of the past,” he said.

According to Lula, countries must choose between opposing paths in international relations.

“We are called upon to choose between multilateralism and unilateralism. Sovereignty or subordination,” he said.

Subscribe now

“We do not need aircraft carriers patrolling our waters”

Addressing the relationship between Latin America, the Caribbean, and the United States, Lula said that cooperation must replace the logic of pressure and confrontation.

“We need partners with a positive agenda that fosters development. Ideological differences should not be an obstacle to greater integration,” he said.

The Brazilian president further stated that Brazil does not need displays of military might, but rather collaboration to tackle concrete problems.

“We do not need aircraft carriers patrolling our waters. We need cooperation to stem the flow of weapons and money fueling organized crime,” he declared.

Lula said that this was the spirit of the documents he personally handed to the U.S. president earlier this week. Among them was a proposal to collaborate with the United States on combating organized crime.

Global crisis and the defense of diplomacy

During his speech, Lula said the world is experiencing a “profound crisis of leadership” and noted that 2025 saw the highest number of armed conflicts since World War II. In the Brazilian president’s view, the current scenario demands stronger action from multilateral bodies.

“The leaders of the Security Council nations need to meet. I am not unaware of the realities of power. War is not the continuation of politics by other means. It is the total failure of politics,” he said.

Commenting on the war between Russia and Ukraine, Lula said the conflict “has dragged on for five years as a humanitarian drama that continues to claim lives.”

“There will be no winners on the battlefield,” he said. “Diplomacy is the only solution.”

The Middle East and historical redress

Lula also mentioned the conflicts in the Middle East, stating that the Strait of Hormuz, which ought to be a corridor for international trade, has become a place of “trench warfare.”

Citing the peace agreements between Israelis and Palestinians, he noted that Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat were statesmen who “defied the past to envision a future of peace,” but who “were defeated by hatred.”

The president also highlighted a recent U.N. General Assembly decision that, according to him, corrected “historical distortions” by recognizing the trafficking of enslaved Africans as the “gravest crime against humanity.”

That statement was also met with applause.

Ivan Longo is a journalist and Politics Editor at Revista Fórum. This article was originally published in Portuguese at Revista Forum. You can read the original here.

Senator Flávio Bolsonaro (PL-RJ) allocated $40,800 (200,000 Brazilian reais) in congressional funding to a sports project on Rio de Janeiro’s militia-ridden West Side. The allocation was made following a request from Robson “the Fish” Calixto Fonseca. Fonseca was convicted and is currently serving a 9-year prison sentence for belonging to an organized crime group run by brothers Domingos and Chiquinho Brazão. This information was revealed to the public on Monday, September 21, in an article by investigative journalist Breno Pires in piauí magazine.

Family ties: Flavio Bolsonaro on the campaign trail with convicted Marielle Franco murderer Chiquinho Brazão. (photo: X)

According to Pires, the Federal Police have found five months worth of messages exchanged between the Fonseca and Maria de Fátima Bezerra Castro, a congressional aide in Flávio Bolsonaro’s Brasília office. These conversations primarily focused on an ongoing request for funds for a community association for help with a youth soccer project in Taquara, a lower-middle class neighborhood in Jacarepagua on Rio’s West side.

“Amiga, see if you can help us with our Senator,” Fonseca wrote in a message sent October 24, 2023. Four minutes later, the aide replied that he should submit the request by email or formal letter.

Two days later, the aide asked whether Fonseca was still working with federal deputy Chiquinho Brazão. He confirmed he was. She invited him to a ceremony in Flávio Bolsonaro’s Rio de Janeiro office, asked him bring Brazão with him and to make the request in person.

According to piauí, the Federal Police investigation report highlights this exchange of messages. It also highlights the instruction for Peixe to use the event to press for the funding.

Marielle Franco and driver Anderson Gomes were murdered in March 2018 in downtown Rio de Janeiro. In a 2026 trial before the Federal Supreme Court, brothers Domingos Brazão and Chiquinho Brazão were convicted as masterminds of the killing. Ronnie Lessa, the gunman, said in a plea bargain deal that Fonseca introduced him to the Brazão brothers. Lessa also said that Fonseca supplied the machine gun used in the assassinations.

$40,800 allocated for “soccer project”

Fonseca pressed the aide again on November 6, 2023, this time about funds for the José Carlos Procópio Vocational Training Institute (IFOP), which ran a soccer program called Players of the Future.

“Good morning, amiga, don’t forget about IFOP. See if the Senator can help us out so our project doesn’t end,” he wrote. The reply came back: “Consider it done.”

The institute received $40,800 on November 29 that year through Congressional Earmark No. 92190012-2023, authored by Flávio Bolsonaro. The payment was part of a larger $117,000 disbursement, of which $78,000 went to the Barra do Piraí municipal government.

Audit court found irregularities

The federal police report also reveals that Brazil’s federal audit court, the TCU, identified irregularities in how the institute spent the money.

Among the problems: IFOP hired a law firm to manage the books for the sports project whose director, José Rômulo Oliveira Alves, was also the institute’s president. He signed the contract on behalf of both parties.

The TCU flagged a possible conflict of interest, since the nonprofit’s director was managing public funds while also indirectly benefiting from the contract.

Auditors also found problems with the price quotes obtained for the project. There was no real public bidding process, as only one company placed a bid, despite having no experience in the contracted service.

IFOP told piauí that hiring outside staff is allowed under the regulatory framework for civil society organizations, and said it would contest the TCU’s findings.

Fonseca’s organized crime conviction

Robson “the Fish” Calixto Fonseca was a central figure in the murder investigation of socialist city councilwoman Marielle Franco (PSOL) and her driver, Anderson Gomes, in March 2018.

Ronnie Lessa, the gunman, testified under a plea deal that Fonseca introduced him to the Brazão brothers, who were convicted of ordering the murders. He also said that Fonseca gave him the submachine gun used in the killings. Fonseca has denied the accusations.

Fonseca was sentenced to nine years in prison in February 2026, for serving as an operational enforcer for the Brazão brothers’ armed criminal organization, alongside Edmilson da Silva Oliveira, known as Macalé. He also lost his pension as a retired military police officer.

During the trial, public prosecutors showed that Fonseca worked as a go-between for the Brazão brothers and paramilitary militias in the Jacarepaguá region.

Breno Pires suggests that the IFOP funding was not an isolated case. Citing an earlier federal police investigation reported by O Globo, he writes that Fonseca brokered congressional funding for an entire network of community organizations tied to the Brazão organized crime group.

piauí sought comment from Flávio Bolsonaro, Robson “the Fish” Calixto Fonseca and Maria de Fátima Bezerra Castro. None responded. IFOP said it never had direct contact with the senator, and that its advisers had pitched projects to multiple congressional offices.

This article first ran in TVT News, and can be read in its original Portuguese here.

The Brazilian Intelligence Agency (ABIN) has raised the risk of external influence and interference by the United States in Brazil’s 2026 elections to a “critical level.” The confidential report was sent to the Presidency, the Supreme Electoral Court, and the Ministry of Justice. In it, the agency points to escalating pressure from the administration of Donald Trump on Brazil. It ties Washington’s actions to a broader strategy to politically reorient Latin America.

A giant Donald Trump figure and U.S. flags appear among demonstrators during a pro-Bolsonaro rally on September 7, 2026, on Avenida Paulista in São Paulo. (Lucas Salum/Brasil de Fato)

The document is titled, “Threats to the 2026 electoral process.” It was forwarded to authorities in late August, and its contents were revealed this Saturday, Sept. 19, by journalist Mônica Bergamo’s column in the Folha de S.Paulo newspaper.

According to the report, there is a “trend of escalating pressure on Brazil” and a “selective intensification and reconfiguration of the pressure exerted by the United States,” albeit within a historic pattern of U.S. influence over the region.

The report’s assessment does not mention ballot tampering or altering the election results. The intelligence agency’s warning addresses the possibility that political, economic and diplomatic pressures could interfere with the institutional environment and with public debate during the electoral process.

The agency places these actions within the strategy adopted by the second Trump administration to reaffirm U.S. hegemony in Latin America.

According to the analysis, strategic documents released by the U.S. government between November 2025 and May of this year point to its objectives as reducing the influence of powers considered rivals and preventing their access to the region’s “strategic assets, natural resources and infrastructure.”

ABIN identifies China as one of the primary targets of this policy. In the agency’s assessment, Washington seeks to expand its direct or indirect control over these resources, whether through the U.S. government or the country’s private investment.

Support for conservative governments

The report pays special attention to the actions of U.S. Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Marco Rubio. According to ABIN, his policy toward Latin America has an ideological bent and he seeks to “influence and reorient the foreign policy of countries in the region.”

According to the document, this strategy involves steering Latin American countries away from China and promoting a domestic political shift “by supporting the rise of conservative governments.”

The agency cites a U.S. Senate hearing held in June, during which Rubio linked the restoration of U.S. hegemony in Latin America to the presence of governments aligned with Washington.

At the time, Rubio stated that the region had come to rely on several governments “friendly” to the United States during Trump’s second term. He singled out Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela as exceptions.

The document also noted statements in which Rubio held Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva responsible for U.S. tariffs on Brazilian products, alleging that Brazil had not negotiated “in good faith.”

In ABIN’s view, this approach personalizes the pressure exerted on the country and has the potential to impact public debate in Brazil during the electoral period.

Brazil targeted for defending autonomy, says ABIN

The intelligence agency assessed that Brazil holds a unique position in U.S. strategy, because it has a government with “greater political will and the means to defend its strategic autonomy” in the face of Washington’s pressure for concessions and geopolitical realignment.

The report states that, despite periods of easing tensions between Lula and Trump, actions taken by the United States since May indicate a trend of increasing pressure.

Among the actions cited is the U.S. designation of Brazilian criminal organizations as terrorist groups and sanctions announced in July against two Brazilians and companies based in Brazil and Portugal. The U.S. government accused them of ties to money-laundering networks linked to the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) drug gang. For ABIN, these sanctions represented a “transition” because they caused U.S. pressure to have concrete effects on Brazilian individuals and companies.

“As a result, U.S. external interference now directly impacts financial relationships, corporate reputation, access to the dollar, international operations, and the exposure of third parties to the risk of secondary sanctions,” states an excerpt from the report released by Folha de S. Paulo.

According to the analysis, the U.S. strategy is happening in a “gradual, combined and adaptive” manner, linking Brazilian organizations to threats against U.S. national security. This is then followed by measures capable of affecting the country’s companies, banks and other institutions.

The Brazilian Intelligence Agency warns that these types of sanctions could prompt Brazilian and foreign economic actors to alter their decisions out of fear of losing access to the U.S. financial system or being impacted by secondary sanctions.

U.S. Makes Demands Over Brazilian Election

The report has also emerged amid tensions between Brasília and Washington directly related to the 2026 elections.

During negotiations held in 2025, the Trump administration presented Brazil with a draft joint statement that outlined a Brazilian commitment to not “arbitrarily” detain, arrest or limit the participation of “political dissidents” in the electoral process. The proposal stated that Brazil should commit to holding “free and fair” elections and ensure the participation of such individuals in the vote.

On Thursday. Sept. 17, Lula stated in an interview with Rádio Itatiaia that the proposal had become a “dead issue” for the Brazilian government. The president also rejected the possibility of granting the United States preferential access to the country’s mineral resources.

The confidential agency report delves deeper into the concerns previously raised in public analyses by the Brazilian Intelligence Agency. In a document released this year regarding intelligence challenges for 2026, the agency identified foreign interference as a threat to sovereignty. It warned that a combination of technological dependence, disinformation, espionage, and coercion could enable foreign actors to influence public debate and decision-making processes in Brazil.

Edited by Geisa Marques. This article was originally published by Brasil de Fato. It can be read in its original form, in Portuguese, here.

Eduardo Bolsonaro is the politician son of the former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro, who is currently under house arrest. Last year, the Supreme Court convicted the former president of plotting to carry out a coup to overturn the results of the 2022 election. Alexandre de Moraes is a member of the Brazilian Supreme Court, who led the trial, which convicted Jair Bolsonaro.

Eduardo’s brother, Flavio Bolsonaro, is a senator from Rio da Janeiro, and the leading right-wing candidate in this year’s presidential election.

Eduardo Bolsonaro is a former member of the Brazilian Congress. He stepped down last year and fled to the United States after he came under investigation for his actions in the U.S. to intimidate the Brazilian judiciary amid the trial against his father. In June 2026, the Supreme Court unanimously convicted Eduardo Bolsonaro of coercion during a judicial proceeding, and sentenced him to four years in prison. He currently lives in the United States, where he has lobbied the Trump administration in defense of his father and against president Lula. The Bolsonaro family are long-time allies of U.S. president Donald Trump. -PD Editor's Note

Flávio Bolsonaro, Paulo Figueiredo and Eduardo Bolsonaro meet with Donald Trump. (Divulgação / Flávio Bolsonaro)

The administration of U.S. president Donald Trump has once again attacked Brazil, labeling the country a “global cocaine distribution hub,” less than 20 days before the presidential election. This comes just a day after Eduardo Bolsonaro announced he would be in Washington to speak with officials about seeking new sanctions against the country.

In the U.S. “Presidential Determination on Major Drug Transit or Major Illicit Drug Producing Countries for Fiscal Year 2027,” signed by Donald Trump himself, the White House states that “the Government of Brazil has failed to confront the designated foreign terrorist organizations Primeiro Comando da Capital and Comando Vermelho, which have transformed Brazil into a hub for global cocaine flows”.

Trump’s determination aligns with the rhetoric of Flávio Bolsonaro, who, unlike president Lula, says he would accept a U.S. designation of Brazilian criminal factions as terrorist organizations, thereby opening the door for armed intervention by Washington in the country.

“These Brazilian terrorist organizations are a growing threat to peace and security around the world, and Brazil’s government urgently must take aggressive measures to confront and defeat them before they spread and grow,” reads the text published this Wednesday, September 16, on the U.S. State Department website—an agency led by Marco Rubio, who has close ties to the Bolsonaro clan.

Heading to Washington

Eduardo Bolsonaro announced on Friday, September 11, that he was on his way to Washington to speak with U.S. officials regarding new sanctions against Brazil.

“Next week I’m going to Washington D.C. to talk to some very interesting people about reviving and bringing back the possibility of getting a Magnitsky [sanction] against Moraes,” he stated during a livestream on a YouTube channel within the Bolsonaro ecosystem.

On Tuesday, September 15, Eduardo Bolsonaro met in Miami with right-wing Brazilian blogger Allan dos Santos, who posted on X, “before his trip to Washington.” “The conversation was very good. Bottom line: go for it, @SecRubio,” the blogger wrote, tagging the profile of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

On Monday, September 14, Eduardo Bolsonaro reiterated that he was en route to Washington but had stopped in Miami to meet with a far-right Polish lawmaker who would facilitate discussions regarding sanctions against Brazil.

“En route to Washington DC, a stop in Miami to talk with 🇵🇱 Polish MP @D_Tarczynski, who introduced a resolution to sanction Moraes via the European Union,” he wrote in a post featuring a photo with Dominik Tarczyński.

This article was originally published in Brazil by Revista Forum. You can read the original, in Portuguese, here.

Former Congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro (PL SP) said he plans to present authorities in the United States with information about Brazil’s Federal Supreme Court (STF) hearing on Tuesday, September 15th. He claims that the material could be used to support new measures by the U.S. government against Brazilian authorities.

Eduardo Bolsonaro, the brother of presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro. (Photo: Lula Marques/Agência Brasil)

His statements were posted on social media during the Supreme Court session. Eduardo said he intends to bring the transcript of the hearing to contacts in Washington and indicated he expects a new round of sanctions. The former congressman, who fled to the United States before being sentenced to 4 years and 2 months in prison for lobbying against national interests with a foreign government, also criticized Supreme Court Justices Alexandre de Moraes, Gilmar Mendes and Flávio Dino.

Session ended without a final decision

The Supreme Court hearing addressed a procedural question related to the possibility of opening an investigation involving Justice Alexandre de Moraes. The case originated from information obtained by the Federal Police from data found on the cellphone of Daniel Vorcaro, the former owner of Banco Master, who has been in prison since March.

Among the elements analyzed were chat messages attributed to Moraes and exchanged with Vorcaro. The discussion at the Supreme Court, however, did not conclude that the justice had committed any wrongdoing. Under review was whether to deepen the investigation for possible evidence based on the evidence presented.

During the session, Justice Flávio Dino requested more time to review the case, suspending the proceedings. As a result, the court did not reach a final conclusion on whether to open an investigation.

Former congressman pushes for sanctions in the U.S.

Eduardo Bolsonaro is in the United States and has been advocating for the Trump administration to use pressure measures against members of Brazil’s judiciary. These foreign activities were cited in the investigation that led to his conviction by the Supreme Court.

In June, the court’s First Panel sentenced the former congressman to four years and two months in prison for coercion during legal proceedings. According to the Attorney General’s Office (PGR), he sought support from U.S. authorities to adopt coercive measures against Supreme Court justices and the government of Brazil.

Prosecutors argued that these actions were intended to pressure Brazilian institutions during the trial involving his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro. Eduardo’s defense team disputes the conviction and has filed appeals.

Moraes was previously targeted by U.S. measures

The strategy backed by Eduardo comes after Alexandre de Moraes was placed on the list of individuals sanctioned by the United States in 2025, under the Global Magnitsky Act.

The measures initially targeted the justice and later also his wife, Viviane Barci de Moraes, and the Lex Institute. The sanctions were eventually lifted by the U.S. government, but the possibility of new measures has returned to the debate amid disputes between Brazilian and U.S. authorities.

Eduardo said he plans to use the content of the Supreme Court hearing as an argument to try to convince U.S. authorities to adopt new sanctions. Whether such measures are actually applied, though, depends solely on decisions by the U.S. government.

TVT News is a television and radio news network and online news portal operated by the ABC Metalworkers Union in partnership with the Bank Tellers and Finance Workers Union of Greater S. Paulo and Osasco.

This article can be read in its original Portuguese here.