Minutes before Donald Trump took over the state of Pennsylvania, former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro sent a message to a WhatsApp group: “Thank you God. Congratulations, Donald Trump. Psalms 30:5: “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy will come in the morning. » Still in the early American morning, Bolsonaro launched his congratulatory message in English on the social network X: “Today we are witnessing the resurgence of a true warrior. “A man who, after facing a brutal electoral process in 2020 and unjustifiable legal persecution, has risen again. »
In an interview with Folha de São Paulo This Thursday, the former president of Brazil linked his destiny to the prophetic return of Donald Trump. His new victory, he acknowledged, is a “very important step” for his “dream” of running in the 2026 elections and presiding over Brazil again. Bolsonaro, politically disqualified until 2030, suggested that Trump’s victory would result in his political amnesty. The former president even declared that he wanted to attend the inauguration of the American president despite the fact that his passport was seized by the courts and that he was prohibited from leaving the country.
Jair Bolsonaro’s reaction sums up the enthusiasm with which certain Latin American right-wing and far-right groups welcomed Donald Trump’s victory. From the Salvadoran Nayib Bukele to the Argentinian Milei, via the Ecuadorian Daniel Noboa, the conservative governments of the region have been full of praise for Trump. “Now make America great again.” You know that you can count on Argentina to accomplish your task. Success and blessings. Best regards,” Javier Milei wrote in English on the social network X.
“Candidates who make hateful remarks will feel encouraged and with that, we will end up having very worrying speeches again. An anti-vaccine denier is set to become health minister. All this can have very strong consequences for the countries of South America,” explains Raphael Seabra, professor of Latin American studies at the University of Brasilia, who believes that the election of Trump can feed extremist discourse in the region.
Trump’s return to power is a breath of fresh air for Latin America’s right-wing and far-right opposition. If the beaten Bolsonarism – cornered by the justice system and hunted down by new actors of the radical right – linked his destiny to the lifeline trumpeterThe Venezuelan opposition is confident of a strong change of direction from the United States in the country.
In Chile, José Antonio Kast, leader of the Republican Party, called Trump’s success “a new triumph of freedom and common sense.” Kast, a fervent defender of the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, is already taking advantage of the American political scene to wear down President Gabriel Boric and consolidate himself as an alternative to the 2025 Chilean presidential elections.
Resistance and enigmatic messages from the left
On the other side of the political spectrum, progressive Latin American presidents congratulated Donald Trump with pragmatism and veiled messages. Gustavo Petro, President of Colombia, declared that “the only way to seal the borders is the prosperity of the peoples of the south and the end of the blockades”, referring to Cuba and Venezuela. He further criticized US support for the war in Gaza. Chilean President Gabriel Boric sent congratulatory messages full of messages: “Chile reaffirms its commitment to strengthening relations with the United States in favor of inclusive development, respect for human rights and concern for democracy in our region.
For her part, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum had a “very cordial” telephone conversation with Donald Trump on Thursday during which they discussed “the good relations that will exist between Mexico and the United States.” Despite the call for calm, Sheinbaum knows that the threat of mass expulsions of illegal immigrants and a 25 percent tax on Mexican goods if the country does not stop immigration from Central America will overshadow his relations with its northern neighbor.
For his part, Lula da Silva, President of Brazil, sent a congratulatory message in Portuguese using the words “democracy”, “dialogue” and “peace” and the phrase “democracy is the voice of the people and must be respected” . . Despite the pragmatism announced in his relationship with Trump’s United States, Lula knows that in 2025 he will be at the epicenter of the hurricane. trumpeter
Next January, Brazil assumes the presidency of the BRICSa bloc which, after opening its doors to countries like Iran, has reinforced its anti-Western nature. Additionally, in November 2025, Lula will host the UN COP30, the largest environmental summit on the planet. On the other hand, the open battle between Brazilian justice and Elon Musk, who will most certainly be part of the United States government, as well as the priority of the Venezuelan agenda already announced by Trump, place Brazil on the edge of the abyss. geopolitical knife.
The return of Donald Trump to power is a cold water for Lula. The possible withdrawal of the United States from the Paris climate agreement could wipe out the UN COP30 in the city of Belém, which will be held between November 10 and 25. The Brazilian president strongly chose to host the COP in the Amazon, to involve the rest of the world in its conservation and the fight against global warming.
In this way, Brazil even aspired to achieve a new global commitment to reduce carbon emissions. To this end, the Minister of Economy, Fernando Haddad, and the Minister of the Environment, Marina Silva, have been working together for months within the G20 that Brazil will chair in 2024. The climate short circuit caused by the victory of Trump could begin during the Summit of Heads of State on November 18 and 19 in Rio de Janeiro. The United States will hardly give priority to the environmental guideline and the new bioeconomy axis proposed by Brazil.
The biggest geopolitical challenge for Brazil will be to chair BRICS in 2025. After the recent meeting of the bloc’s presidents in Russia, during which Vladimir Putin welcomed international support, the anti-Western image of BRICS persists . in crescendo. The recent integration of countries like Iran or the United Arab Emirates and the resignation of Javier Milei’s Argentina make Brazil the only clear ally of the West.
Lula faces the challenge of showing balance between the United States and China, while trying to combat the dollar’s hegemony in international trade. The fact that BRICS encourages commercial transactions in other currencies and that former President Dilma Rousseff chairs the BRICS Bank (based in China) places Brazil in Washington’s crosshairs.
Brazil’s recent veto of Venezuela’s entry into BRICS and the fact that so far Lula has not recognized the official results of the elections in Venezuela which give victory to Nicolás Maduro could soften Trump’s morale. However, one of the most feared conflicts in Brasilia is linked to tycoon Elon Musk.
After the tough stance of Brazilian justice against disinformation on the social network. Musk, who has already defined Brazil as a dictatorship in which freedom of expression is not respected, can impose on Alexandre de Moraes, Minister of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), to be prevented from entering the States -United, as requested by several members of the Republican Congress. , of course attacking freedom of expression. Additionally, the United States could intervene in Brazil’s attempt to legislate on fake news and Big Tech, as happened in April when Musk blew up the PL of Fake Newsone of the most ambitious laws in the world in this area.
In the early hours of the November 6 vote, Eduardo Bolsonaro, son of the former Brazilian president, was exultant. From Donald Trump’s headquarters in Florida, he attacked Alexandre de Moraes: “They are going to put the brakes on him in some way. Or do you think Alexandre de Moraes will want to confront Minister Elon Musk?, he told Brazilian media?
Currently, Eduardo Bolsonaro claims to play a mediator role so that the United States puts pressure on the Brazilian justice system to return his father’s passport. The photo of Jair Bolsonaro alongside Donald Trump in his presidential pose would mark the start of Brazil’s 2026 election pre-campaign, although Jair cannot dispute it. Eduardo, the former president’s quick fix, hopes to capitalize on the resurgence of Trumpism.
For her part, the leader of the Venezuelan opposition, María Corina Machado, also congratulated the next American president, establishing herself as the winner of the elections in Venezuela – after highly contested official results which gave victory to Nicolás Maduro: “President Trump, “The democratic government that we Venezuelans elected on July 28 (…) will be a reliable ally in working with your administration.”
“We know that we have the support of the people of the Americas and their democratic governments to ensure an immediate transition to democracy. And we also know that we have always counted on you,” said Corina Machado. Trump was one of the promoters of the path of confrontation with Juan Guaidó to try to overthrow Nicolás Maduro.
