“Clandestine diplomacy”, says Boulos about Flávio’s trip to the USA

The minister of the General Secretariat of the Presidency, Guilherme Boulos (Psol-SP), stated this Tuesday (7.Jul.2026) that the senator and pre-candidate for the Presidency, Flavio Bolsonaro (PL-RJ), practices a “clandestine diplomacy” which only serves “electoral interests”. The senator traveled to the United States to participate in a public hearing at the North American International Trade Commission in Washington.

“Another shameful episode of Flávio Bolsonaro’s clandestine diplomacy: the senator went to the US Congress to ask them to postpone the tariffs and the attack on PIX until after the elections. He wasn’t defending Brazil, he was defending his electoral interests. It’s the Tariflavio version in installments!”wrote the minister on his profile on X.

The public hearing to discuss the additional 25% tariff that the United States wants to impose on Brazilian products began on Monday (July 6). The event brings together representatives of the Brazilian and North American productive sectors and authorities from the Donald Trump (Republican Party) government.

The Brazilian government did not send any representative. The assessment is that the meeting aims to listen to civil society and the private sector. Negotiations at government level are carried out in the working group established between the 2 countries.

FLAVIO IN THE USA

Em publication in X, the senator stated that he made a defense “technique and politics” at the hearing and said he was satisfied with his defense before the USTR.

The former deputy Eduardo Bolsonaro (PL-SP), Flávio’s brother, accompanied him at the hearing. In a publication on X, criticized the government of the president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) for not sending any representative.

“Lula did not register anyone for the public hearing, because he wants the tariffs, even if you pay the price for it”he stated.

The application of tariffs against Brazil is widely attributed to the actions of the Bolsonaro family in the United States. With the elections approaching, Flávio’s strategy is to distance himself from this image.

AS TARIFAS

The USTR (Office of the US Trade Representative) presented the proposals for taxation on June 1st and 2nd, 2026. They are:

• 25% – for unfair trade practices. It is the result of a commercial investigation opened against Brazil on July 15, 2025;
• 12,5% – due to the lack of restrictions on the import of products made with forced labor similar to slavery. It is the result of a global USTR investigation into the topic.

On July 15, Trump will decide on sanctions. Until then, there are expectations of more meetings between the Minister of Development, Industry, Commerce and Services, Márcio Elias Rosa, and the United States Trade Representative, Jamieson Greer.