Joe Biden and Jair Bolsonaro: meeting cold and distant, without shaking hands

In one of the most high-profile bilaterals at the Summit of the Americas, US President Joe Biden first met his Brazilian colleague, Jair Bolsonaro, on Thursday in a meeting that was preceded by strong crosses and controversy. The meeting was cold and, as a sign of tension, they did not shake hands for the photo.

The head of the White House had his first meeting with the leader of Brazil – they had never spoken on the phone before – as part of the continental meeting in Los Angeles and which brings together most of the leaders of the region, with some sensational absences. such as Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua (who were not invited) and Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Bolivia and some Caribbean, who did not travel because they criticized exclusions.

The meeting was organized during a visit by Biden’s Summit envoy, former Senator Christopher Dodd, who traveled to Brasilia weeks ago to try to persuade Bolsonaro to go to Los Angeles. The Brazilian leader was reluctant to attend the leaders’ meeting because he has a strained relationship with Biden and, furthermore, he claimed to have been involved in the presidential election campaign that pitted him against Lula da Silva in October.

Today was the first meeting between the leaders since Biden took office in January 2021 and sought to smooth out the tension between the two. Bolsonaro, a great admirer and ally of former President Donald Trump, was one of the last heads of state in the world to recognize Biden’s victory in the last election, in which Trump was defeated despite the claims made by the tycoon – never proven – of electoral fraud.

Furthermore, the Biden government, which has put the fight against climate change at the top of its agenda, has criticized the Amazon’s deforestation policy. Brazil concentrates much of the Amazonian territory and Bolsonaro is in favor of the commercial exploitation of that lung of the planet, a position criticized by environmentalists and the White House.

The leaders met after the Summit Leaders’ Plenary. They sat at a safe distance (the Brazilian is reluctant to be vaccinated), Biden welcomed him, but they didn’t shake hands, at least not in front of the cameras.

As always, football served to break the ice. The American told the Brazilian that he had been to his country twice, including one during the 2014 World Cup.

“Brazil is a fantastic place, thanks to the vibrant and inclusive democracy and the strength of the electoral institutions,” Biden said. Bolsonaro himself criticizes his country’s voting system, which many interpret as he could denounce the fraud and not accept a possible defeat, as Trump did.

Bolsonaro spoke – translator through – for more than 7 minutes, but he was not addressing the American but the public of his country. He questioned the Brazilian voting system, defended his decision not to be involved in the global coalition against Russia for the war in Ukraine, and defended sovereignty over the Amazon.

Biden, meanwhile, was not looking at the Brazilian but was staring at the ground.

The Brazilian president seemed to arrive with enthusiasm at the bilateral meeting: “I hope from the meeting a rapprochement between the United States and Brazil, that we can get closer. We have never had any problems with the United States. Brazil is open to talking and having relations with any country, “he said before the meeting in an interview with CNN.

“We will talk about various topics, including renewables, transitional energy, green hydrogen, but I will also talk about confidential things with him (Biden)”, Although under decibels, before leaving for Los Angeles Bolsonaro had stoked the fire. In an interview on Tuesday, he said that ties between Brasilia and Washington have gone into something of a “freeze” since Biden arrived in the White House, and covertly reiterated that there may have been some irregularities in the US elections.

The US embassy in Brasilia reacted immediately and issued a statement that appeared to refute Bolsonaro: “Elections are the most visible expression of a democracy and the United States is proud of the long history of free, fair and reliable elections, which it runs through. a meticulous process and withstand the challenge of time, “they said.

Consulted by Clarín, Brian Winter, editor of the Council of the Americas Americas Quarterly and expert on relations with Brazil, said that “Bolsonaro was trying to prove that he was not an international pariah. He wanted the photo with Biden and legitimacy in front of some of his voters who are very pro-American. That said, the two presidents wanted to be seen talking “hard” to each other. “

On the other hand, he added, “Biden sees Bolsonaro as a copy of Trump, and wants to be critical of the possibility of a Brazilian January 6 (the day of the Trumpist assault on Congress). Bolsonaro wants to show that he does not accept pressure and that he can confront the American president and tell him not to mess with the Brazilian electoral process or the Amazon issue. In other words, we expected a very tense meeting ”.