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Bolsonaro family feud
Michelle Bolsonaro’s public rupture with her stepson Flávio Bolsonaro has become a new strain on his presidential bid in Brazil, with The Washington Post describing her video in which she says, "He was very harsh with me, disrespected and mistreated me."
“"He was very harsh with me, disrespected and mistreated me"”
The Washington Post also frames the dispute as arriving "little more than three months before the presidential election" and as a potential test for Flávio’s effort to unseat President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
El Dínamo reports that the fracture is tied to disagreements over alliances in Ceará state, describing a "tsunami within the Brazilian right" as the dispute played out through the media and social networks.
El Dínamo adds that Flávio Bolsonaro told Michelle, "I understood that he didn't want my support, or that it didn't matter. So I stepped back. I stayed on the sidelines, and I continue to do so," while Flávio responded that "at no time did I offend, nor did I intend to offend Michelle. If at any moment I did, I apologize once more."
Trump, tariffs, and Lula
In a separate clash over U.S. policy, AP reports that Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and his rival Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro traded barbs over the Trump administration’s proposal to apply "taxes of 25% on Brazilian products" despite a U.S. trade surplus.
AP says Flávio Bolsonaro emphasized that the tariffs would strengthen Lula, while Lula’s government rebuked the argument that its trade policies are unreasonable, discriminatory or burdensome to U.S. commerce.
L’actualité reports that Lula warned U.S. President Donald Trump against any interference in Brazil’s presidential election scheduled for October after Trump voiced new criticisms tied to judicial measures against political rivals.
L’actualité quotes Lula saying, "If he knows Brazil through his ties to the Bolsonaro family, then he does not know Brazil," and adds that Lula told Trump not to meddle because "Brazilian elections fall under Brazil's sovereignty."
Election stakes and alliances
As the October presidential election approaches, JNS.org reports that Senator Flávio Bolsonaro said he expects to celebrate his victory "in Jerusalem" and told JNS, "We love Israel and we respect the Jewish people."
“"We love Israel and we respect the Jewish people,"”
JNS.org also says Bolsonaro reiterated his promise to move Brazil’s embassy to Jerusalem within six months of victory, adding, "I'll do it," and "I promised it to the prime minister."
Clarin reports that a new poll by AtlasIntel for Bloomberg News found Lula leading Bolsonaro by approximately seven percentage points, with "49%-42%" in a possible second round, and it notes that the case is under review after Brazil’s electoral court suspended circulation of the poll.
Clarin further says voters who supported Jair Bolsonaro continue to back Flavio, with "82%" saying they prefer him as the right's candidate versus "15%" who think Michelle should be the candidate, while the article ties the family fight to tensions over support among women and evangelical voters.
