Flávio Bolsonaro meets Trump at White House amid scandal

Brazilian presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro met with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday, seeking to bolster his campaign amid a damaging financial scandal. The private meeting, which lasted over an hour, included the candidate’s brother, Eduardo Bolsonaro, and journalist Paulo Figueiredo.

The encounter occurred as Bolsonaro, a senator and son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, faces declining poll numbers following revelations about his financial ties to a disgraced banker. It also came roughly a month after Trump hosted a separate meeting with Brazil’s current president and Bolsonaro’s electoral rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

According to Bolsonaro, the central issue he raised with Trump was a request for the United States to designate two major Brazilian criminal gangs, the First Command of the Capital (PCC) and the Red Command (CV), as foreign terrorist organizations. Bolsonaro argued the groups operate transnationally, control territory, and corrupt institutions. The administration of President Lula has reportedly opposed such a designation, expressing concerns it could lead to financial sanctions or fears of U.S. military intervention.