Joe Biden and his Brazilian counterpart Jair Bolsonaro adopted a conciliatory tone in front of the press on Thursday June 9 for their first bilateral meeting, including on delicate subjects such as the elections and the protection of the Amazon.
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The US president called Brazil a democracy “vibrant” endowed with institutions “solids” and welcomed the far-right head of state, who is attending the Summit of the Americas taking place this week in Los Angeles. Joe Biden also praised the efforts and “sacrifice” made by Brazil to protect the Amazon rainforest, during a short speech attended by journalists, before the actual meeting took place.
Jair Bolsonaro assured him that he had “a lot in common” with the American president, for example that of being “democrats” attached to “freedom”. He also assured that he had come to power “by democracy” and said he would leave him “by democracy”. Regarding global concerns around the Amazon, the Brazilian president, a notorious climate skeptic and much criticized by environmental activists, said that Brazil felt “sometimes threatened in its sovereignty” on this subject.
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These conciliatory statements contrast with the notorious tensions between Jair Bolsonaro and Joe Biden, who had never seen each other face-to-face. Again this week, the Brazilian president expressed doubts about the regularity of the election that brought Joe Biden to the White House. Washington, for its part, is openly worried about the violent attacks by the Brazilian president, who is seeking a new mandate, against his country’s electoral system.