Dispute for right-wing leadership heats up clashes between Marçal and Bolsonaro family

The exchange of attacks between the influencer Pablo Marcal (PRTB) and members of the Bolsonaro family have highlighted the tension over who should lead the right in the 2026 presidential elections. At the center of the divergences are Marçal’s political aspirations and the strategic control that Jair Bolsonaro (PL) tries to maintain its political group. This Saturday (25), Carlos Bolsonaro (PL) criticized Marçal on social media, accusing him of lying and trying to weaken the former president.

“Farçal is the only right-wing guy who has been trying to destroy @jairbolsonaro since 2018, lying covertly and saying he supports him. They are just facts. Otherwise, anyone can do what they want. I only bring information found by anyone. Guys don’t make a point without knots. Everyone is NEEDED to know”, wrote the former president’s son.

The animosity intensified after an interview with Jair Bolsonaro on CNN, on Thursday (23), where the former president classified Marçal as “an outsider”. ““I avoid talking about this guy. It’s a card out of the deck. (…) It has a lot of potential, but it needs to be controlled”, said Bolsonaro.

Marçal, in turn, reacted to the statement by stating that Bolsonaro “is out of the game” and claiming that the former president only considers candidates linked to his family. The response signals that the influencer does not intend to back down in his search for political space.

Aspirations and alliances on the right

With 1.7 million votes won in the race for Mayor of São Paulo in 2022, Marçal has established himself as an influential figure. The problem is that his candidacy for President faces barriers, including actions in the Electoral Court that could make him ineligible.

Bolsonaro, on the other hand, has already begun to articulate possible successors within his family nucleus. Although he mentioned his wife, Michelle Bolsonaro, as a “good name” for the elections, he later indicated that she should run for the Senate. For the presidential race, the favorites would be the sons Flávio and Eduardo Bolsonaro.

Disputes on the networks and behind the scenes

The conflict gained another episode with the recent inauguration of former US president Donald Trump. While Michelle and Eduardo Bolsonaro participated in events celebrating the inauguration, Marçal published a video alongside Trump, suggesting that he had participated in the official celebrations. He later confirmed that the recording had been made days earlier, in Mar-a-Lago, Florida.

Carlos Bolsonaro reacted sharply, calling the video a manipulative strategy to destabilize the family’s image. Tensions on social media reflect a dispute for support among right-wing voters, a crucial segment for both sides.