Shirt, Eduardo and message from Bolsonaro: behind the scenes of the meeting between Flávio and Trump

The atmosphere inside The Willard hotel, less than two kilometers from the White House, had been one of apprehension since early Tuesday morning. Until a few hours before the meeting between Flávio Bolsonaro (PL-RJ) and Donald Trump, no one around the senator treated the meeting as 100% guaranteed.

Flávio spent the day secluded in the hotel alongside his brother Eduardo Bolsonaro (PL-SP) and influencer Paulo Figueiredo, one of Bolsonaro’s main contacts with Trumpism. Until early afternoon, the White House agenda did not mention the Brazilian senator in any of Trump’s official engagements.

The fear in the group was that any change caused by international negotiations involving Iran could bring the meeting to an end at the last minute, despite the pre-confirmation made the day before. In the previous hours, allies even discussed internally the extent of the political strain if Flávio crossed the continent to try to demonstrate international strength and returned to Brazil without a photo next to the American president.

The definitive confirmation only came after new contacts made by interlocutors linked to the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio. The articulation of the agenda went precisely through the republican environment close to Rubio, in addition to the network built by Eduardo Bolsonaro in the United States since the Jair Bolsonaro government.

According to reports made to GlobeEduardo and Paulo Figueiredo only briefly participated in the meeting. They entered, greeted Trump and left the room shortly after. The assessment within the group was that the meeting needed to have the “face of a presidential meeting” and focus the spotlight on Flávio.

The senator took a Brazilian team shirt with him to present to Trump. The plan, however, did not go exactly as planned. The piece ended up being retained by White House security for inspection procedures and could not be delivered directly to the American president. Aides say the shirt will be released later.

Already sitting in front of Trump, Flávio heard his father, Jair Bolsonaro, become a topic at the beginning of the conversation. The American president asked about the situation of the former Brazilian president, wanted to know details of the house arrest and questioned how the family was dealing with the moment. Flávio then conveyed a hug from his father to Trump.

Flávio spent around 1h40 at the White House. At the end, Trump handed the senator a “challenge coin”, a symbolic currency traditionally distributed by American presidents to allies, military personnel and guests considered close. The senator showed the item to allies inside the White House and treated the gesture as an important political signal.

During the press conference held after the meeting, Jason Miller, a Republican strategist linked to Trump and one of the main names in Trumpist digital communication, quickly appeared at the scene and greeted Flávio. Miller maintains a frequent relationship with Eduardo Bolsonaro and has participated in political agendas linked to Bolsonarism in Brazil.

Within Flávio’s pre-campaign, the assessment is that the meeting with Trump helps the senator to return to Brazil with an impactful political gesture after weeks dominated by the crisis involving Daniel Vorcaro and Banco Master. PL allies assess that the image next to the American president reinforces Flávio’s international association with Trumpism at a time when sectors of the right began to discuss presidential alternatives to the senator, such as former first lady Michelle Bolsonaro and former governors Romeu Zema (Novo) and Ronaldo Caiado (PSD).

Flávio remains in Washington until this Wednesday and is expected to return to Brazil on Thursday. On Friday, the senator has an agenda scheduled in Curitiba.