When Brazil’s new president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, meets President Joe Biden at the White House on Friday, the two hope to reset relations after an era defined by right-wing populists and threats to democracy in both nations.
The talks, expected to center around efforts to combat climate change and tackle anti-democratic extremism, come roughly a month after protesters aligned with far-right former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro stormed government institutions in Brasilia following Bolsonaro’s election loss.
The event carried troubling echoes of the US insurrection attempt on January 6, 2021, not least because Bolsonaro was closely aligned with former US President Donald Trump. After his election loss, Bolsonaro decamped for the United States; he has been living near Orlando, Florida, for more than a month.
For Biden, the episode was another sign that protecting democracy is a global imperative.
By extending an early invitation to Lula to visit the White House, Biden hopes to cultivate closer ties and demonstrate his support for one of the Western Hemisphere’s key players.
“I think the two presidents really look forward to developing that personal relationship and to make it very clear that they’re going to be engaging personally on a lot of issues that that are important to both leaders,” a senior US administration official said ahead of the visit.
Biden quickly called Lula following his victory late last year, hoping to demonstrate support after Bolsonaro had laid the groundwork to question the election results. The move was received well among Lula’s officials, who saw it as a sign Biden was looking to restore US-Brazil ties.
Biden largely iced Bolsonaro out, engaging with him only sparingly. With the left-wing Lula, he finds more of an ideological ally.
They have met previously; when Biden was…
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