Flávio's campaign dissociates marketing change from convention controversies

Flávio Bolsonaro's campaign team is actively working to distance a recent shake-up in its marketing staff from the controversies that marred the presidential candidate's convention last weekend. The campaign seeks to avoid any perception of error, particularly concerning the invitation of Argentina's President Javier Milei and the screening of an artificial intelligence-generated video of Jair Bolsonaro.

President Milei delivered a lengthy and aggressive speech against Brazilian President Lula and Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, which resulted in a diplomatic incident and overshadowed Flávio Bolsonaro's own address. The AI video also drew scrutiny from Justice Moraes and could lead to penalties for the campaign. Despite these issues, campaign insiders reportedly viewed the repercussions from both events as positive.

According to campaign officials, the departing marketing consultants, Alexandre Oltramari and Eduardo Fischer, were not primarily responsible for either Milei's appearance or the AI video. The decision to replace them with Duda Lima, who is associated with the national president of the Liberal Party (PL), Valdemar Costa Neto, is reportedly aimed at projecting a more distinctly "right-wing" image for a candidacy that had been making overtures toward moderation.

Lima brings extensive experience within the party and maintains a direct channel to Flávio Bolsonaro, having managed his father's 2022 campaign. This strategic shift suggests an effort to consolidate the campaign's ideological positioning and leverage established party connections.