MEXICO CITY — President Biden spoke on the phone Monday with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva one day after an unbridled mob backing his defeated predecessor Jair Bolsonaro stormed government buildings in the capital city Brasilia.
Biden, who currently is in Mexico for the North American Leaders’ Summit, invited Lula to visit Washington in early February “for in-depth consultations on a wide-ranging shared agenda,” the White House said in a call readout.
Biden “conveyed the unwavering support of the United States for Brazil’s democracy and for the free will of the Brazilian people as expressed in Brazil’s recent presidential election, which President Lula won,” the readout said.
Biden “condemned the violence and the attack on democratic institutions and on the peaceful transfer of power” and “pledged to work closely together on the issues confronting the United States and Brazil, including climate change, economic development, and peace and security,” the White House said.
Thousands of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s supporters ransacked Brasilia Sunday. AFP via Getty Images
Lula narrowly defeated Bolsonaro in an Oct. 30 runoff election and took office on Jan. 1. AFP via Getty Images
President Biden “conveyed the unwavering support of the United States for Brazil’s democracy” in a call with Lula, according to the White House. Getty ImagesThousands of angry Bolsonaro supporters smashed into Brazil’s congressional, presidential and Supreme Court buildings in Brasilia on Sunday and pillaged the offices before being repulsed by authorities — drawing comparisons to the 2021 Capitol riot in which a mob of then-President Donald Trump’s supporters broke into Congress to halt certification of the 2020 election.
Lula, a 77-year-old democratic socialist who previously was president from 2003-2010, took office Jan. 1 after winning 50.9% of the vote in an Oct. 30 runoff election against Bolsonaro, a 67-year-old right-wing populist often likened to Trump.
Brazil’s legislative, presidential and judicial buildings were attacked Sunday. AP
The violence followed months of protests by Bolsonaro supporters claiming election fraud. APBolsonaro is currently in the United States and checked in to a Florida hospital with “abdominal pain” on Tuesday after the mayhem.
Although Bolsonaro was hospitalized for two days in January 2022 for an intestinal blockage linked to a 2018 stabbing, some US officials expressed incredulity at the remarkable timing of his symptoms, as a possible extradition struggle looms linked to the chaos in Brasilia.
Late last year, throngs of Bolsonaro’s supporters protested following the election by asking for the Brazilian military to stage a coup, alleging that the results were fraudulent. The largest South American country was ruled by a right-wing military dictatorship from 1964-1985, but troops didn’t meet the request.
