On Sunday, October 18, supporters of presidential candidate, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro paraded down Paulista Avenue in São Paulo clutching an inflatable toy missile bearing a call for a nuclear strike on Brazil. Senator Bolsonaro, who attended the rally with allies such as far right Rep. Nikolas Ferreira, made no comment about it.
Bolsonaro supporters make a public appeal for their own annihilation (photo: social media)
The white structure, raised above the crowd, bore the English language inscription “Trump nuke Brazil.” Images from the event show people dressed in green and yellow standing near the object, draped in Brazilian flags.
By calling on a foreign power to launch a nuclear attack on their own country, these demonstrators took a stance that amounts to treason and a direct affront to Brazilian sovereignty.
The display comes amid a growing alliance between U.S. President Donald Trump and the Bolsonaro family, who have also been pushing for U.S. action against Brazil.
Growing Ties With Trump
Senator Bolsonaro traveled to the United States six times over the course of 2026. Trump received him in the Oval Office at the White House on May 26. Bolsonaro later said they spoke about organized crime, trade tariffs and critical minerals.
At least three Democratic U.S. senators have denounced what they describe as a campaign of interference and destabilization against Brazil. They sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio citing economic and diplomatic pressure, as well as Trump’s meeting with Flávio Bolsonaro. The U.S. government has previously denied similar accusations.
Bolsonaro appeared in a televised interview on Brazil’s most popular nightly news program, Jornal Nacional, on Friday. There, he once again promised that Brazil would join the Shield of the Americas. Trump’s initiative calls for intelligence cooperation and allows for the possibility of deploying U.S. troops to participating countries.
Rare Earths and U.S. Interests
Brazil’s mineral resources are also part of this growing relationship. Flávio Bolsonaro spoke at CPAC in Texas in March, presenting Brazil as an alternative that could reduce U.S. dependence on Chinese critical minerals.
Researcher Nathália Francisco, of the Observatório das Metrópoles and the Movement for Popular Sovereignty in Mining, discussed this in an interview with Brasil de Fato. She said aligning with Washington’s interests could deepen Brazil’s dependence on foreign powers. Rare earth minerals supply sectors including the energy transition, technology and the defense industry.
Eduardo Bolsonaro and Diplomatic Channels
Flávio’s brother Eduardo Bolsonaro, who moved to Texas in 2025 to escape criminal persecution for lobbying against national interests with a foreign government, has also been working in the United States to push for pressure on Brazilian officials. A foundation led by Paulo Figueiredo, Florida-based grandson of Brazilian military dictator João Figueiredo, hired a Deleware based lobbying firm called the America-Brazil Prosperity Advancement Foundation help the Bolsonaro family with that effort.
According to reporting in ICL Noticias, Figueredo and Eduardo Bolsonaro have coordinated efforts to secure tariffs against Brazil and sanctions against justices of the Federal Supreme Court. When asked about it, Paulo Figueiredo denied that the foundation had any formal or informal ties to members of the Bolsonaro family.
The Lula administration partially blames the Bolsonaro family for the worsening trade crisis between the United States and Brazil. Lula’s aides say negotiations between the two countries are the responsibility of Brazil’s Foreign Affairs Ministry and the government bodies responsible for foreign trade, not the Bolsoanaros.
This article, which was edited by Monyse Ravena, first appeared in Brasil de Fato, was translated by Panamerican Dispatch, and can be read in its original Portuguese here.
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