Lula to take criticism of ‘traitors to the nation’ and link tariff dispute to the Bolsonaros on TV

Lula’s campaign will sharpen its attack on his main rival, Flávio Bolsonaro, in a televised program scheduled for Tuesday night, labeling the senator and his family “traitors to the nation.” The broadcast will contrast statements by the Bolsonaro family about the tariff dispute and the Donald Trump administration with criticism from Lula and his supporters, repeatedly invoking Brazil’s sovereignty.

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We must not forget that there is a family that uses our colors and speaks of patriotism, but in the end serves another country.

The program opens with a narrator saying: “We must not forget that there is a family that uses our colors and speaks of patriotism, but in the end serves another country.” It then cuts to remarks by Flávio Bolsonaro, who says, “The tariff will reach Brazil,” his brother Eduardo Bolsonaro, who says, “If the scorched-earth scenario comes, at least I will have been avenged,” and their father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, saying, “My salute to the American flag.”

Lula argues that sovereignty reflects the Brazilian people’s resistance to outside interference. “Brazil’s sovereignty is marked by the resilience of the Brazilian people in not wanting anyone to stick their nose into Brazil. We were colonized for many years and we do not want to be colonized anymore,” he says at the start of the program.

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The tariff will reach Brazil.

The advertisement also links sovereignty to critical minerals. It criticizes the privatization of BR Distribuidora and refineries, saying fuel became more expensive afterward and that gas stations began laundering money for criminal factions. The program defends Pix against Eduardo Bolsonaro’s reference to Zelle, a private transfer system operated by U.S. banks, and says Brazil should go “to a negotiating table with the Americans.” Lula responds that “Pix belongs to Brazil, it is public, it is free and it will remain that way.”

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Brazil’s sovereignty is marked by the resilience of the Brazilian people in not wanting anyone to stick their nose into Brazil. We were colonized for many years and we do not want to be colonized anymore.

The new advertisement comes after recent polling weakened Lula’s position. In the Datafolha survey released on July 3, Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro were in a technical tie in a possible second round, with 46% and 44%, respectively.

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Pix belongs to Brazil, it is public, it is free and it will remain that way.